Keep the Memories

After every vacation it's great to have pictures and small souvenirs that bring back memories of your trip. One fabulous way to create these memories is by making a scrapbook of your family vacation. While eliminating, "Honey, where were we again when this was taken?", it also gives your children (toddlers and up) something to do on a rainy day.

To start out with, get your children in the habit of saving one thing from each place you visit. It can be anything from a restaurant napkin to a postcard from a national park, or your children's drawings of the theme park your family has just visited. Another great tip is to bring along a disposable camera for your children. It's a great inexpensive way to allow your children to feel included, and at the same time get their point of view of the trip.

On a rainy day (hopefully you won't have any of those) or a night where you and your family want to take it easy, start putting your scrapbook together. The essential elements that are needed can easily be brought with you: photo-album or scrapbook, scissors, glue, construction paper, stickers and markers. If you feel really ambitious, take the film that has already been used to a 1-hour film-developing center.

Now that you have all the materials ready, it's time to begin. Here are a few suggestions that can help make the craft session run smoothly:

• Let each child have their own page to work on
• Let them be as creative as they want
• Keep all the materials in the same area so it is easier to keep track of
• Have your kids SHARE all the materials
• Try to avoid one child monopolizing the red marker for too long
• Once the film has been developed, the child who took the picture should have the option to use it first. This means that each child should have the same amount of time with the camera. Or you can buy each child its own special camera.

Enjoy your new scrapbook! The memories will last a lifetime.