How to Make a Summer Memories Jar

A summer memories jar is easy to fill and provides a great year-round decoration and reminder of those fleeting summer days.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vases
• Clear Jars
• Multi-purpose Labels

1. Purchase or find a large, clear jar or vase with a fairly wide mouth. Choose something you will want to display in your home.

2. Explain to your children that the jar is a place for them to preserve special summer memories.

3. Help your children find and save mementos that will fit into the jar. Small items such as feathers, rocks, shells, small carnival prizes, ticket stubs, driftwood, small souvenirs, brochures and postcards can be saved and added to the jar.

4. Add items that are colorful, meaningful and are the right size to fit in the jar.

5. Challenge your children to find something for the jar each time they go somewhere or do something special over the summer.

6. Watch the jar fill up as the summer reaches its end.

7. Rearrange items in the jar as needed to allow for more space or to better display the items in it.

8. Place a small date label on the bottom of the jar where it can't be seen so that you will always be able to associate the jar with the correct year.

9. Display the jar on a shelf or in a glass cabinet so that summer can be part of your family's life all year.

Tips & Warnings

• Have each child make his or her own jar to avoid squabbling. Have them display their jars with their other personal keepsakes.
• Have the children design a label for the front of the jar as a decoration. A cute play-on-words title is "Summer Preserves."

[Susanh]

on 6/13/2009 Great idea! 5*****