As you make plans for summer vacation and travel think about fun ways to preserve the memories. Consider going beyond just taking pictures. Be creative! You can get the kids involved and make this a family project. Have your children apply what they have learned in school to create a fun memory for the whole family! Creative writing, photography, and digital production are all valuable skills for this activity. What you need:
As a family, decide on your desired final product(s). Do you want to create a picture book? A print version of your stories? A digital version? If anybody in the family has digital talents, you can create a digital book with pictures or even a video about your travels.
At least one person to take pictures and/or videos. Adding pictures to a written story brings the story to life! Cell phones are all around us and easy to grab when a photo opportunity comes up. All family members can contribute pictures and videos to the stories about your summer adventures.
At least one person to write the stories. School age children enjoy writing stories about their experiences. They feel knowledgeable and confident about the content because they experienced the adventure. Encourage the writer(s) to include sensory descriptions in the story. For example, for the above picture, I would describe a crisp, cool, breezy spring day in Nome, Alaska where my dad and I got to feel the furry, velvety antlers of a young reindeer.
Work together to decide on final production and editing. Make sure all family members have copies of the stories in the format(s) they need to share with other family members and friends. Consider making this a regular family activity. The products contain fun memories that can be shared now and with future generations.
What do you do to presereve your treasured memories? Please share your experiences and ideas below.
For more information about CStarsky courses related to "Writing Treasured Stories", "Storytelling: Painting Pictures with Words" and tutoring focused on storytelling check out the Virtual Tutoring and Training pages on our website.
