Capturing a moment in time

It’s been a strange few months it’s fair to say and, as we enjoy the new ‘normal’, there have been some positives that have emerged from lockdown. 

Every day is a school day, or so the saying goes, but we really have lived through a real-life chapter in history. Fast forward a few years, and students will be studying this and answering questions in their GCSE history exam. 

So, as we all continue to find new ways to entertain ourselves and spend time with families and friends, why not start to pull together your lockdown memories and photos so you can capture your own take on this unique moment in time. One great way to do this that is inexpensive, and can be done with little or no experience, is scrapbooking.

Scrap book success

A hugely popular hobby in recent years, scrapbooking has been around since the 1800s and has always been a great way of showcasing collections and ideas. The beauty of a scrapbook is that it is entirely personal and can capture a moment in time such as a memorable holiday or experience or can display a collection of certain things such as postcards, stamps or other memorabilia.

Creating a scrapbook is a great project for adults and children alike. It can be as simple or as detailed as you prefer, or as time permits. Getting started is quite easy – there are lots of scrapbooks available online and lots of tutorials and ideas to provide a little inspiration.

Perhaps you could create one for your family, but your little ones could do one on a much smaller scale. You could set them a summer holiday challenge to take photos of things that are important to them and then help them print them off and perhaps even make a collage. All you need is a big sheet of cardboard, a glue stick or two, and lots of enthusiasm to get them started on their scrapbooking journey!

Snap happy

We’ve all become snap happy these days with our phones taking amazing quality photos. Why not print off a few of these to incorporate into your scrapbook? And, if they need a little editing, there are lots of great apps that can help with this. It’s a great way to show the times that you spent together, the ways that you thought up new ideas to make fun, and how you are now managing to see those you love, all whilst staying two metres apart.

Putting pen to paper

We know that many people kept diaries, especially during the early part of the pandemic when our lives were paused indefinitely. Why not capture a few lines from there to add to the scrap book or, get the children or those closest to you, to say what 2020 has meant to them, how they have managed, what they have learnt, what has made them happiest etc. It’s another great way of remembering just what an impact the last few months have had.

To theme or not to theme

Perhaps the theme could be lockdown, perhaps the children could take photos of all the things they have enjoyed doing, perhaps it could be a collection of photos and information about your local area and how much you’ve enjoyed discovering new things. Whether you choose a specific theme or not, it’s still a good idea to catalogue all that you want to include so you don’t miss out something that was important to you.

Going digital

Whilst the joy of traditional scrapbooking is a great way of collating memories, there are lots of digital options available. There are a number of online sites that have ways of uploading photos, adding text and comments to create a truly personalised book that is printed and delivered direct to your door.

Looking to the future

As children return to school, and perhaps your working arrangements change as a result, why not leave a few pages spare to capture these milestones as well. The first day of a new school year is always a defining moment in time, but never more so than this year as children eagerly return to their education.

This too will pass

As time moves on our memories of this chapter in history will begin to fade, just as others do. By taking the time to look back positively, and document this in your scrapbook, it will serve as a great reminder; not only to your family, but for generations to come about this unique moment in the history of the world.