You know one of my favorite things about Project Life? It’s so stinking easy that even kids can do this. In honor of National Scrapbooking Day, I asked my kids if they were interested in doing their first Project Life layout. Porter (9) was more interested in drawing superheros and creating his own new language. Totally cool with that. Totally cool with kids expressing their creativity in the way that keeps them motivated and inspired.
Claire (6), on the other hand, was totally game for this. Several weeks ago she took the camera into the backyard and took pictures. A lot of pictures – of anything and everything that was interesting to her. I printed those pictures and invited her to choose her 7 favorites. She also chose her title card and journaling cards from the Clementine Core Kit … and she was all set.
Porter helped her with spelling on some cards, and she was on her own for others. I’m not worried about consistency. I just wanted her to have fun and feel great about the fact that she was scrapbooking! She not only took the pictures completely by herself but she loved how easy it was to place the photos & cards in the pockets.
Claire is six years old. She can do this. Kids can do this! Start ‘em young. : )
As for the context of this layout (and any others that she makes, or our boys eventually make) … I am just placing this in her scrapbook in the Kindergarten section, since she did this as a Kindergartner. For our kids’ albums I don’t separate school stuff and the rest of their childhood. It’s all part of life and it’s all part of their story and I put it all together in chronological order. That’s how I roll. If you want to learn more about my system, check out the currently featured video on our Videos page.
And by the way, I’m going to answer a question that I bet has popped into some of your minds, especially since I mentioned that I hope my boys will want to do some scrapboking at some point. This is not a girls-only hobby. And yet – most products would indicate so. Am I right? Even most of our Project Life editions are pretty feminine. So here’s the deal: YES – We are developing a Project Life edition that you will absolutely be able to hand over to the guys in your life (those that have an interest in doing something with their pictures without all the frill and fluff). Can I hear an AMEN! for that?
…..
Speaking of kids – I received a touching email from Katherine in Colorado – age 14:
Dear Becky,
I’m here today to spread the word about something that’s truly amazing. That thing is my hobby, my expression, my passion, my life. People ask me from time to time which things I would save if my house was on fire. My answer is always the same: my childhood doll “Baby”, and childhood blanket “Blankie”, and my scrapbooks.
Scrapbooking is a revolutionary, brilliant method of preserving and forever cherishing your beautiful memories in a way that is practical and allows you to look back on that spectacular thing called life whenever your heart desires. Whether you glance at last summer’s entries for a few minutes before running out the door in the morning, or spend three hours with your family looking back on the past ten years of your lives one night, you are doing something to bring back the days of old, as well as inspire your children to ask questions and even one day record their lives as effectively as you have.
It’s been said that pictures are worth a thousand words. Then how much is a picture with words worth? In my opinion, it’s worth every minute that you spend putting it all together, because for every minute you spend making a scrapbook, you get the rest of your life and your kids’ lives to enjoy it.
Project Life makes it all so easy, so clean and fast, and so fun. Everything is clean-cut and ready, decked out with cute designs and colors. I just wanted to write this to express my feelings of thanks to Becky Higgins, thanks that I owe her for creating such a magnificent product that, in my opinion, is the largest step toward simplicity that the scrapbooking society has taken since double-sided tape – and also, for truly changing me as a person.
I now realize that I only have one life and that I must live it to the fullest. I now hug and kiss each member of my family, telling them that I love them, before they go anywhere, because I never know if they’ll come back. I am honestly grateful for every breath I take and every day that I wake up on this lovely earth. Becky opened my eyes to so much more than initial appearances, to what lies behind those seemingly insignificant moments in my existence.
Life is a one-time deal, so work hard to make it the very best that you can. Take too many pictures, laugh too often, and love too much. Thanks Becky.
…..
Um, pass the tissue. Katherine, you are a remarkable young woman. Thank you for inspiring us.
Tags: Claire, katherine, Project Life
Love this post! A few days ago I told my girls I planned on giving them PL journal cards so they can help me with OUR huge book of everyday memories. I will do it today after school. Also I plan on showing my 14 y/o Katherine’s email. Funny how I read this today because today is 6 yrs to the day my older sister passed. I must say every day how I wish she was here still.
Becky, you still inspire me after all these years. And for this, I want to say thank you.
So cute Becky! thank you Claire for inspiring us
Our youngest son (17 yrs) is creating his own layouts (multiple) to record his band trip to the United Kingdom this year. So awesome to see it in his own handwriting, from his perspective. He asked if I would do it for him, but I reminded him that I was not there – these are HIS memories.
He has more than 600 photos, but is only going to use about 30 to capture the ‘story’ of his amazing adventure.
Boys can do this too!
LOVE the kids scrapbooking, I really want to see the rest of Claire’s and Porters when you have the time to post them. Please post, thanks Becky!
My son LOVES to scrapbook! He is 7 and has been my scrapbook buddy for 3 years now. I have a kit for him and a kit for me and we scrapbook til our hearts content! Maybe it’s more about mom-time than scrapbooking for him, I don’t know, but we sure do have a good time together!
Get those boys scrapbooking!
I whole-heartedly agree!! This last year for Christmas, I got each of my nieces (7,8 & 15) their own Project Life core kit, page protectors and albums. We’ve been spending time taking pictures and writing stories. Every so often, all us girls sit down together and assemble our Project Life albums. They love it!
My nephew (he’ll be 12 soon) asked for something else this Christmas, or he would have gotten PL stuff as well. When he saw what the girls were doing, he asked me for his own kit. I’m so excited that he gets how important it is to keep memories (even if he does have his hand in front of his face every time I try to take his picture these days). It will be fun to have all the kids with me when we work together on our albums!
Thanks again for a great system (and I can’t wait to see what you come up with for the guys!)
Adorable! Quite the idea and keepsake for when Claire (and other kids!) gets older! I’m using the Cobalt core kit to document my boys who are now 4 and 21 months. I don’t think that kit is “frilly” by any means, it works great for them, and me (I’m not really a frilly person either). I will look forward to any sporty or techie/science themed scrapbooking kits you may put out that are more geared towards boys though!
My grands are working on their own pages…. They have always “saved” stuff for me to put in their books… and now, they are putting things together themselves. My just turned 7 and 3 1/2 yr old put things in their book this weekend… The 7 yr old is doing her own journaling
Yes – this makes it very very easy !
The 3 1/2 yr old did a coloring page for the book also… For those, I just add an 8.5 x 11 sheet protector and pop it in the middle
Works very well for coloring pages or art drawings on printer paper.
It is great that kids can be involved in PL. I have a 3yo daughter and she often draws me a picture on a PL card – the one she did of our new kitten was priceless. I use washi tape on some of my layouts and that is her favourite thing to stick onto pictures.
I have just bought her a small point and shoot camera and will be adding her pictures to our album as well. When she comes across something that is ‘special’ she will often give it to me and say “this is for the book”.
It won’t be long before I buy her a kit of her own. Thanks Becky.
WOW!!! Katherine’s words expresses just how I feel every single day with my pictures, scrapbooks, how I look and smile at my family and those around me that I love so much. Thanks for posting this …. <3
I am finally taking the plunge and going to start doing project life. I have been a conventional scrapbooker for many years. It is just my husband and I at home now with our dog and cat, but I am going to see if I can make it happen anyway. I have lots of grandkids and they are going to be getting to the age that they can help grandma out with scrapbooking pretty soon. I am so excited for my stuff to arrive. It should be here in 3 or 4 days!!
Wow, I LOVE this post!! I never thought to have my kids do a page. I happen to have 3 weeks in the front of my album this year, that we somehow lost the pictures for. I think I will give one of those pages to each of my oldest kids (my youngers are only 3 and 11mos!), and let them each do their own page! What a fantastic I idea.
Yes! Yes! YES!! I’m so happy to hear you’ll have a PL edition that is boy friendly! My son (8) scrapbooks with me and I would love to get this for him. I know he’d love it – he already loves to use the grid journaling cards on his pages.
I also have to say what an amazing and insightful letter from someone so young – thank you for sharing, Katherine!
I have been scrapbooking with my niece and nephew since they were in first and third grade (now in fifth and seventh) it is our quality time together – they stay over night, eat their favorite foods (anything orange that stains their fingers – because my sister won’t let them have it in their house) and a movie. Fun, fun times!!!
As far as product suggestions – please make more journaling cards that are 3×4 – I like to take pictures that are 4″wx6′h and non of your collections have much of anything other that the plain grids.
Thank you!
Funny she should mention fire– when our house WAS on fire in late January of this year, I was running out of the house with my 2 children (3 1/2 and 2 months at the time) yelling to my husband to grab my PL books (the one from 2011 I had JUST completed and 2012 which had just been started!). She is so right. The memorie will last as long as you live, but these books are the PROOF and your design makes it SO EASY!! Thank you.My daughter will sit there as long as you’ll sit with her and narrate every single day of that year! Looking forward to the new stuff, too!!!
I don’t have kids, but I loved writing and taking photos as a kid! Not only is this a great creative outlet for kids, I believe it would help development as well. Not all kids are good at writing and spelling, and a lot don’t like it either. This is a way for them to improve these skills while doing something fun, rather than the usual classroom environment which can be pretty boring for some people. Look at the email from Katherine… She writes better than a lot of adults I know! In part, this may be due to her having a fun creative outlet that encourages her to write and record her stories.
WOW…shall we thank that young lady for keeping us in perspective!!! This was very VERY touching, and how nice to hear from a 14 yr old. If only they could all “see” life the way she does. Thanks for sharing, and thanks for Project Life:)
As someone who grew up with only brothers and is the mother of a little boy, I am thrilled to hear there will be more masculine options. Horray!
I have three girls and my oldest two (aged 6 & 4) scrapbook, and they give me things to keep for the PL album. They like to do their own layouts with pictures they take on their kiddie cameras.
Here’s your “AMEN” from a mother of two boys.
Thanks for continually keeping me excited about the next evolution of Project Life. You rock!
I don’t think I have ever read a letter so eloquently written by a 14 yr old before. Katherine is wise beyond her years, and I hope that others can learn from her words. Although I haven’t started PL (yet!), I am a firm believer in documenting all those little things that are important. And when one of my kids tell me, “Mom – take a picture of this for me!” I am happy to oblige knowing that they love to look back on it.
my son is 3: he shoots some photos for me and make beautiful colourful pictures that I insert in my PL!!!!!!
WOW! That was from a 14 yr. old!?!? Beautifully said.
Becky! You have GOT to do something for me. Well, for all of us.
Please fix your blog so that when we click on one of your links it opens in a new tab and does NOT take us away from yours.
Most of the time, when I’m reading along, I really want to click on that link and see what you’re referring to but I want to finish what I’m reading at your blog first. Or finish catching up on the last week’s worth of your posts. Or whatever. The point is – don’t make us leave you!
As always, I love PL and I’m thankful for all the inspiration I find ’round this ‘ole blog of yours.
Cheers!
Way to go Claire! One thing I do is re-write what my kids wrote on the back of the page. You think you’ll always remember what that word with the wacky spelling says, but you won’t. This way their words and meaning are preserved.
Well said Katherine. I agree that a picture is worth a thousand words, but without the words it just leaves so many unanswered questions. When you add the words it’s truly priceless.