The Stay-at-Home Club Journal
A COVID-19 Journal Project
Here we are. The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over, but it has been more than a year. And it’s a good time to reflect on the last year and to record what happened and how we felt. Because here’s one thing I know: in the years to come, people will say, “How did you do?” and our memories will smooth over the rough edges, hollow out the mellow places, and we will forget. But our children and our grandchildren, the generations that come after us will want to know: “What did you do?”
So, let’s take some time to reflect. To process. To think about and record our experiences — the good, the bad, the terrible, and everything in between.
Not everyone is a natural journal writer. And indeed, journalling does not have to be all writing! There are so many ways to journal, and I created the Stay At Home Club Journal Project as a way to help anyone begin. After all, starting is often the hardest part!
So grab a blank book, print out the free PDF with all of the prompts, and get started. I have lots of ideas, tips, and techniques below to help get going or to offer some inspiration. And there are stickers!! I’ll be sharing more about my own journal on my Instagram feed, so check it out!
Get Your Stay at Home Club Badges!
Before you even begin, be sure to get your Stay at Home Club badges! You’ve worked hard to earn them over the last year, and you should proudly display them! These cute stickers are a collaboration with Owl & Ember and are available on their website.
Place them on the cover of your journal. Or use them as a prompt. How did you earn your Bread Maker badge? How many times have you had the nasal swab? What new hobby did you take up to earn your Hobby badge? When did you get your vaccine?
No matter how you use your badges, take a photo and post it on Instagram with #owlandember so we can check it out!
You have earned them! Get your COVID-19 Badges and use them in your pandemic journal!
Make it a Group Project
This is a great project to take on as a family, a pod, or a bubble, too. I have created a PDF list of journaling prompts for the Stay at Home Club. Different members of your group could take on different prompts, or you could each do your own journal, but set times when you get together to work on it as a group (safely, of course). Maybe you even zoom with friends or family across the country and work on it together — and share some of your work, too.
I’ve developed prompts which can be answered by anyone in your family or group. Involve the children in your life, too. They have deep feelings about what has happened during this time, and giving them a chance to share their feelings and to express themselves is healthy and valuable. And capturing their perspectives makes your journal even richer in the end.
Journaling is a great family activity, and it helps preserve your child’s perspective on the events of the last year.
Materials
This isn’t the kind of project for which you need a lot of materials. At a fundamental level you need some paper and something to write or draw with; beyond that, the choices are endless! I am using a large Moleskine Japanese Album for my own journal. But use what you have at home.
Other materials I like to have on hand for journaling include:
Pens and pencils
Watercolors
Materials for collaging
Scissors
Glue
For a full list of my favorite journaling supplies, click the link.
Getting Started in a Journal
Choose a Blank Book
For my own Stay-at-Home Club journal, I’m using a large Moleskine Japanese Album. I love the accordian-folded pages which lend themselves nicely to a timeline. But any blank book or sketchbook would work for this project. Lined. Unlined. Watercolor paper. Whatever you choose. You can even make a journal out of a catalogue or a magazine. I have a tutorial for that here!
Decorate the cover
Sometimes decorating the cover is a good way to break the ice on a new journal or blank book. I love to use stickers and ephemera glued down. Sharpies work well. And I usually coat it all in ModPodge once I am done to protect everything, but that’s absolutely optional.
Pick a Prompt
Sometimes it is hard to know what to write or draw or record. So I created a handy download with all kinds of journal prompts to get your creative juices going. Choose a prompt and start! It’s a free download — it only looks like you are checking out. And the PDF is full of journaling prompts and ideas for this historic time.
How to Journal
A journal entry does not have to be long nor does it need to be done in paragraphs. These are all ways to journal. Choose the way which best captures the information you want to preserve as you approach a question or a prompt. And your finished journal may have different types of journal entries for each page or prompt. It’s your journal, after all.
A journal entry can be a/an:
list
poem
paragraph or more
song lyric
photograph and caption
cartoon or storyboard
haiku
collage
painting or drawing
newspaper clipping
printed facebook status or Instagram post
sketch or illustration
short story
memento in an envelope
letter
recipe
infographic
essay
letter
Journaling Prompts
Once you have downloaded the PDF of prompts, you’ll find dozens of questions and ideas of what to include in your journal. Two of the prompts — A to Z and The Timeline — are a little more involved, so I created a video explaining how I planned and laid out each of the prompts. I hope this is helpful!
A Few Journaling Techniques
Journaling doesn’t have to be fancy or artistic or complicated. But I have learned a few easy techniques along the way which make journaling more enjoyable and have allowed me to do more in my journals. Here are two of my favorites:
I love using envelopes in my journals, planners, and art journals. Here are three ways that I use envelopes. It’s an easy and fun way to add another dimension to your journal.
The Dutch door technique is fabulous for adding something in the middle of a journal or a planner. It could be an extra piece of paper, a card, something sentimental, or even an envelope. This tutorial teaches you how to do it — very easy!
More Journaling Ideas & Inspiration
For more journaling ideas and inspiration, check out the Pinterest boards linked below!
My Journaling & Art Journaling board on Pinterest
My Planners and Planning board on Pinterest
My Sticker board on Pinterest
