Little Scrapbookers

Looking for a fun yet educational activity to do with kids? Try scrapbooking!

Scrapbooking is the craft of making scrapbooks-special photo albums whose pages are filled not just with photographs, but with journal writing, memorabilia and decorations such as stickers, die-cuts, rubber-stamping and drawings.

Scrapbooking is a wonderful activity for families to do together. Not only does it foster togetherness, but it provides an opportunity for children to cultivate new skills. Making a scrapbook provides a child with hands-on experience in a variety of disciplines, including photography, art, writing and history. It also boosts a child's self-esteem because he is essentially creating a book about his favorite subject-himself.

Scrapbooking supplies can be easily obtained at any office supply or crafts store. The basic materials needed are: a three-ring binder, card stock and paper, page protectors, scissors, a pen and a glue stick. You may also want to buy some stickers, die-cuts (colorful paper cut-outs), decorative edgers (scissors that cut fancy designs), punches (hole-punchers that cut various shapes from paper), and stencils/templates (used to trace and cut shapes).

Read labels when purchasing scrapbooking supplies. Paper products should be acid-free and lignin-free. Page protectors and other plastic materials should be PVC-free. And glues should be labeled acid-free and photosafe. (Acid, lignin and poly-vinyl-chlorides are chemicals that can be damaging to photos and scrapbooks.)

Here are the basic steps to making a scrapbook:

Choose a theme: decide on a theme for the scrapbook, for example, "School Days" or "My Family"
Personalize the binder: decorate it with stickers, markers, glitter or other craft supplies
Collect photos: gather photos that fit the scrapbook's theme.
Sort the photos: create separate categories, such as "My First Day of School" or "My Teachers." (Each category will become its own page(s) in the scrapbook.)
Crop the photos: trim them to fit on the page, or cut them into shapes just for fun. You may also want to mat or frame the photos before gluing them to the scrapbook page.
Mount the photos: arrange the photos on the page and glue them down.
Journalize: write a short caption, story or poem about the photos.
Title: add a catchy headline to your scrapbook page
Embellish: decorate the page with stickers, die-cuts and other fun items.

No matter the age of your child, scrapbooking is a terrific way to get the whole family involved in preserving special times.

Lori Elkins Solomon is the author of READIN', WRITIN' & SCRAPPIN'-a scrapbooking curriculum guide for parents and teachers. For more information about the educational benefits of scrapbooking, email the author at LSOLO@att.net or visit her website at www.readinwritinscrappin.com.

Copyright 2002 Lori Elkins Solomon