Instructions for the Kit Maker:

• Paper journals made from ONE sheet of color 8.5-inch by 11-inch and TEN to FIFTEEN pages of white 8.5-inch by 11-inch paper.
• Stack the paper neatly and fold the paper in half to create a 5.5-inch by 8.5-inch journal. Art4All Pittsburgh used the edge of a ruler to crease the pages.
• Secure the pages at the fold with a saddle stitch. Art4All Pittsburgh used a saddle stitch stapler. You can also secure the pages via saddle stitching using thread. (Visit Sea Lemon DIY for more bookbinding ideas.)
• Once the saddle stitch is complete, Art4All Pittsburgh creased the edge again and placed the journals under a weight to flatten them out.

Background:
Diaries and journals are ways to record your experiences, thoughts, ideas and plans. Not just for writing, journals can be a place for you to draw, sketch, create collages or illustrate your feelings and dreams. Throughout history, journals have been a way for people to express their feelings, hopes and dreams as well as a place to record their fears and worries.

Your Journal:
Your journal can be a private place for you to express yourself or you can share it with family and friends. Think about how you want to use this journal, talk to your caretakers then use this journal in the way that works best for you! Draw pictures, write poems or stories, make collages, express your feelings with words or pictures, collect leaves and flowers and glue them down, write about your day, write about dreams and your future! 

Ideas for your Journal

1. Decorate the front and back cover in whatever theme you want. Maybe you have a favorite activity, animal, sport or just want to draw a fun picture. It is up to you!
2. Each page in your journal is a new empty space to write or draw about something you want to remember, record a feeling you are having, or use to remember your days — the special AND the average ones. You are in charge!
3. Sometimes a journal is all written, sometimes it is all pictures and sometimes it is a combination of both. You can put things in your journal that remind you of something fun you did like a leaf from a hike or a picture from a magazine or newspaper. Draw pictures of places you have been or places you would like to go to someday.
4. The subject of your journal is totally up to you. It can be about only you. This is a place for you to put your own thoughts, feelings and ideas.
5. If you choose to keep your journal private, make sure you let your family know. Your ideas and feelings are your own and your journal should only contain what you want to put inside.
6. If you decide that you want to share your journal with others, only put things in it that you WANT to share. 
7. When you fill this journal, use plain paper to create a new one by folding in half and securing with a stapler or with thread (see above.)

Most importantly, BE CREATIVE, HAVE FUN and EXPRESS YOURSELF!