One of the homework assignments that I give my kids during our DIY summer camp at home is to write a weekly one-page journal entry. It can be written as a diary, talking about something we had done that week, or it can be a fictional story involving a character that they invent. It isn't so important what they write about- but that they practice writing, reading, and editing their work. And writing is so much more fun when you use one of these cool Jeans Pocket Notebooks!
The jeans pocket can hold their pencils and pens- so all they need to do is to grab the notebook and head outside to write under the tree!
How to Make Your Own Jeans Pocket Notebooks!
We purchased new composition notebooks for each child, wide-ruled This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. for the younger set and narrow-ruled This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. for the older kids.
We then took a few pairs of old outgrown, holes-in-the-knees jeans (who doesn't have a few of those stuck in a drawer somewhere?) and using sewing scissors, carefully cut the jeans pocket away from the jean.
Using craft glue This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. , we glued the three seamed sides of the cut-out pocket onto the front of the notebook, creating the new notebook pocket.
Next, it was time to embellish! Since some of our old jeans were dark denim, and some were lighter colored denim, we cut out each child's first initial from the fabric in the opposite color.
We asked the kids for ideas and cut out some fun shapes to reflect their passions- such as a chess piece and a Magic Treehouse book for my soon-to-be third grader.
Next, we used some fabric ribbon This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. to decorate the notebook's binding and even the top of the pocket.
I think they came out great!
Here are some more great summer ideas for you:
- Free Family Summer Bucket List Printable
- Free Printable Summer Schedule
- 50 Fun Summer Activities, Crafts, and Field Trips (From Pre-K to Teens!)
- DIY Roller Coaster Ride
- Teach Your Kids How to Play Crazy 8's!
Do you think your kids would love to write in a cool jeans pocket notebook like this?
Lynne Stark says
yup, luckily i only printed the month of july…
Lynne Stark says
ok, so you got the book, now how to i make my kid sit outside and write. i don’t know how you do it sharon. i’ll try. one thing i did do inspired by your blog is made a chart with each day of the summer going down and across is: chinese, reading, workbook. Each time she spends time on one of these she’ll get a sticker in the box. for every 5 stickers i’ll give her a dollar to buy herself something in the fall…
Sharon says
Now you have to add “write in journal” to your list. The only reason my kids will do it is because it is on the homework chart! I only have one child who loves to write so much that he just does it on his own all of the time…. the rest I have to drag to it!