"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing." Benjamin Franklin
Thought Books
A thought book is where I keep all my favorite, inspirational quotes and poems. The book itself is a full-sized journal that I covered in material several years ago. It's always inspiring to read my thought book because I only put the best in it.
Karen Kindrick's Book of Thoughts
Life Books
When I first introduced LIFE BOOKS to my children, my oldest child wrote her first poem on the first page-she was very inspired! My children and I take our life books just about everywhere. We put everything in them too.
I was inspired to have a life book after reading a section in The Art of Teaching Writing by Lucy McCormick-Calkins. (If you've never read her writings, she is very inspirational. She shares stories about why we need to get our life down on paper.) The story that especially inspired me is about Isoke Nia, who inspired children to record their lives. She didn't use the term "Life Book," but that's what we have called it for years, until this school year.
Journals of Discovery on the opening day of Once Upon a Time, Sons and Daughters of a King (Shakespeare) year. 2006-2007
I wanted to share the excitement about writing with my children-not just stories or reports or journal writing, but all the joy of putting life on a page through words--sharing a realization that life is so full and rich that we couldn't possibly think of going anywhere without a book to save all the richness of that life; that the saving of the life makes it rich; that searching for the details and beauty of that life with the purpose of recording it will make it worth savoring now and in the future.
Brittany Kindrick writes in her journal on a mountain trip during the Adventure Down the Mississippi year. 1989-1990
This was what I wanted my children to feel about writing. The stories McCormick-Calkins shares gave me the vision of how I wanted to share this with my children. I would love to post one of the stories that I shared again with my children this year, but since it is copyrighted, I can only tell you about it. Isoke Nia mentors children--she teaches them how to fill LIFE BOOKS. (My friend and I coined this phrase after reading Isoke's story). She has a group of youngsters gathered around her as she brings a book out of a bag. She hugs the book and the children sense that this is a treasured item. Instead of telling them what the book is about, she asks the children what they think she has in the book. (Isn't that perfect?)
Jasmyn Bradley and Sadie Kindrick pause in the streets of Paris, France, to write in their journals. 2001
When on of the children says, "Words." She repeats it back to the students as if 'words' is the most precious word. She is excited with this simple answer. And because the child is praised for their answer, the others are inclined to share their ideas, especially those nearest to Isoke, who can see little bits of newspaper coming out of the edges. They mention all the things she might have in the book, including "secrets."
Heather Bradley writes in her journal during the From Sea to Shining Sea: American History through the eyes of eight American Girls year. 2004-2005
She cradles the book as if it holds he life, which it does. She tells why she has note-scribbled napkins taped in her book. She tells how she always carries it with her so that she doesn't forget the great thoughts that come to her. Her book is the place where she can write down everything.
Sadie and Brittany Kindrick write in their journals during the Blazing the Trail to Zion year. 1995-1996
True to form, she inspires the children to get their own notebooks and fill them. They begin each day sharing things they have written down in their books. (I love doing this with my children. The most important part is that if my children don't have anything to share, or only too personal things to share, I make sure I have something that is exciting to me. I share my enthusiasm for my life book.) Isoke acts as if writing is the most important thing in the world. She refers to her students as 'authors.' This is the passion that I hoped to ignite within my children when I first introduced them to LIFE BOOKS!
Giselle writes during the A Magic Carpet Ride to Lands of Enchantment year. 2005-2006
I bought cheap, little, lines, spiral-bound notebooks for my children and gave each one on a Saturday morning before a satellite broadcast church meeting. I told them that their notebook was not a journal, but a book of their life. They could fill it with anything and everything that made up their life: stories, poems, thoughts, feelings, memories, ideas, etc. Somehow I transferred my enthusiasm to them (I think part of it is that my children took their life books (my oldest of six was about eleven at the time) to the meeting and wrote and wrote and wrote. I think I mentioned earlier that my eldest wrote her first poem on the first page of her life book. It was a poem about a principle she heard that morning. I was thrilled!
Pages from Heather Bradley's Journal of Discovery during the A Magic Carpet Ride to Lands of Enchantment year. 2005-2006
Every school year since then my children each receives a new life book. They learned to look for the kind of book they would like to have. At the time we started life books my children also got a sketchbook at the beginning of our homeschool year. But since discovering A Life In Hand--Creating the Illuminated Journal by Hannah Hinchman, we began to combine the two books into one.
Will and Ashley Kindrick draw in their journals, on location, during the Adventure Down the Mississippi year. 1989-1990
I began illuminating my journals by sketching my life on the same pages as my writing. I have drawn my feet several times because there wasn't anything as interesting in my vicinity to draw! I draw the commonplace and it becomes rare to me. Now when I go back through my journals, the pages I like to look at the most are the ones with the drawings!
A page from Heather Bradley's Journal of Discovery during the A Magic Carpet Ride to Lands of Enchantment year. 2005-2006
My children also get blank page journals or sketch books for LIFE BOOKS. Now drawings accompany their writing. I must admit that some of my children like to write more than draw, and vice verse. But the point is that they're getting their life on a page, with no expectations from me. Because I don't care what they put down on paper, they usually carry their books with them, especially when we're going out in the car.
Giselle Bradley and Emma Palmer write in their Journals of Discovery at the Japanese Garden at the Huntington, during the A Magic Carpet Ride to Lands of Enchantment year.
In the summer of 2001 my LIFE BOOK evolved to another level. While on a plane, Karen Kindrick and our daughters and I all began our LIFE BOOKS to record our trip in France. We had all individually purchased new books and so we began to illuminate the title pages. After the first day I not only drew and wrote in my book, but I began to glue and tape items into my book: a ticket stub for the Eiffel Tower, dark mauve toilet paper from Normandy, etc. Instead of saving these things for a scrapbook, I put them right in my LIFE BOOK. I also began cutting up brochures from the places we visited, and artistically gluing them into my book. (I carried portable scissors and a glue stick everywhere).
A page from Heather Bradley's Journal of Discovery during the A Magic Carpet Ride to Lands of Enchantment year. 2005-2006
Suddenly everything was a potential item to put in my book: every brochure, every business card, every picture, even wildflowers from a rest stop were glued in my book. By the time I came home my life book was filled with my life in France for those two and a half weeks. It was a masterpiece to me. I was so tuned to searching for items to put in my book that when I came home the first brochure I saw was at an auto shop, and I was very nearly tempted to take one to put in my LIFE BOOK. I didn't, but have continued filling my LIFE BOOKS with items from my life, and it makes my life book so much richer.
A page from Heather Bradley's Journal of Discovery during the A Magic Carpet Ride to Lands of Enchantment year. 2005-2006
One last thing about life books: My daughter made life books for everyone in our family for Christmas. She copied a vacation snapshot of our family, laminated it and used it for the cover of our comb-bound LIFE BOOKS that were a half sheet size. I used mine up so quickly that I had her make another one for me. For a few years I would design my own cover using paintings, etc. for the cover. I have also water colored the inside title page. When I make my own LIFE BOOKS, I use 32 lb. paper for this. I like thick paper so that pretty glitter pens and watercolors won't bleed through. Then I can use both sides of the paper.
Jeanne Bradley, as Sacajewea, shares a Journal of Discovery, during the From Sea to Shining Sea: American History throught the eyes of eight American Girls year. 2004-2005
Journals of Discovery (formerly Life Books)
The year 2004-2005 was our American Girl year, going through American history from 1764-1944 with the eight American Girls. We put together our own year, but learned about the time periods in American History of these girls. At the beginning of the year Sacajawea, the Indian maiden who guided Lewis and Clark, came to visit the children. (Though Lewis and Clark met the Nez Perce Indians about 40 years after the 1764 Nez Perce American Girl, we wanted to share their journey because they did meet that tribe).
A page from Heather Bradley's Journal of Discovery during the From Sea to Shining Sea: American History throught the eyes of eight American Girls year. 2004-2005
I was Sacajawea all dressed up and playing the part. I told the children the story of Lewis and Clark and who I was. Every night Lewis would write down the things he had seen that day, and Clark would sketch all the birds, animals, etc., that he had seen. They were very diligent in chronicling everything so they could share their findings with President Thomas Jefferson.
The Bradley, Ortiz, Hartvigson, Patterson families write in their Journal of Discovery during the From Sea to Shining Sea: American History throught the eyes of eight American Girls year. 2004-2005
Lewis and Clark carried many valuable instruments, etc. with them, but the most important cargo of the entire journey was the journals of Lewis and Clark. Their exploration is often called the Journey of Discovery. I told the children that this year they had the opportunity to do the same thing that Lewis and Clark did, though instead of discovering the territory of the future United States, they would be discovering themselves.
Giselle Bradley, Annalisse Hartvigson and Heather Bradley write and draw in the Journals of Discovery during the From Sea to Shining Sea: American History through the eyes of eight American Girls year. 2004-2005
At this point I showed the children some of my LIFE BOOKS (now called Journals of Discovery), that I have created through the years, filled with writing, drawings,watercolor painting, small photos, brochures cut up, pressed flowers, and other mementos of my life. I told them that they could put in their Journals of Discovery anything they wanted. At that point I gave them each their journal, (provided by their moms). I then gave each child a Sacajawea dollar coin. They either glued their coin in their journals or did a rubbing of it.
The front page of Heather Bradley's Journal of Discovery during the A Magic Carpet Ride to Lands of Enchantment year. 2005-2006
They got very excited about these journals. Immediately afterwords, another mother taught them how to sew by hand a "gathering bag" into which the children soon placed their journals, along with pencils and water color pencils. At the next field trip to the Ronald Reagan Museum for the Lewis and Clark exhibit, every child and parent (we set the example) had their Journals of Discovery to sketch and write in.
Heather Bradley's Journal of Discovery from the Once Upon a Time - Sons and Daughters of a King (Shakespeare) year. 2006-2007
These Journals of discovery had been the greatest hit of the year! My 12-year old daughter filled two books that year! The children brought them to every activity. They sketch or take notes or share with the other children the pages they had completed since they last saw each other. This was very motivating for them. Their Journals of Discovery have truly become their most treasured cargo this year! We will always call our LIFE BOOKS, "JOURNALS OF DISCOVERY" now, thanks to Lewis and Clark.
It's not too late to begin your own JOURNAL OF DISCOVERY.
HAPPY WRITING AND DISCOVERING!
Brittany Kindrick draws in her art journal during the L'Accademia di Belle Arti year. 1997-1998
The Small Plates of Jeanne
Several years ago I had the opportunity to go through all my journals that were written since I was a teenager. I had a complete month in bed, during which I copied down all the spiritual stories and scripture annotations from my journals since my youth.
Hal Bradley finds the perfect spot to ponder, write and draw in his journal during the Buried Treasure and the Voyage of the Frugal Frigate year. 1992-1993
(I love definitions, so I thought you might like to see these too):
Annotate To explain or criticize by notes; as, to annotate the works of Bacon. to make notes or comments; - with on or upon.
Annotation A note, added by way of comment, or explanation; -- usually in the plural; as, annotations on ancient authors, or on a word or a passage.
Heather Bradley writes in her journal during the Once Upon a Time - Sons and Daughters of a King (Shakespeare) year. 2006-2007
I decided to compile all spiritual things into a single book. In theory, it would be nice to have all these things put together for my benefit--to have something to turn to when I need to remember that I really have spiritual experiences and miracles happening in my life; that I really am touched by the Spirit while I read, (as evidenced by my annotations) and understand the scriptures on many levels; also, so that I can pull stories from my own life to illustrate spiritual principles when I teach my children and others at church.
In practice, I have done nothing more than compile these in one place. I haven't typed them and put in a binder to which I continue to add--that would be the ideal. It's on my long list of things to get to.
Pages from Karen Kindrick's journal during the In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes year. 1993-1994
Morning Pages
See The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. Much good in my life has come from faithfully writing morning pages.
Write to "Save" Your Life
I write to save my life. I write because each day, each hour, each moment is precious to me. If I don't capture the moment on paper it may be gone forever. About 15 years ago my husband was looking through his day planner index to find his jounals entries. He was looking for a story from his life to illustrate a talk he was giving. He found a story about a miracle that had happened in our family only five years before. It was a major event in our lives, but we had forgotten it. Both of us! I had never written it down, but he did.
I write to save my life -- in doing so I inspire my children to save their lives as well. Your life is equally important. Save your life today!
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