Blogging Ellul: Getting Practical; Ellul Scrapbooking

This is an activity I started doing with religion school students, and could be fun as a family, but actually works for all! As we look back at the year that was, it can be helpful to do so in a creative, physical way, on the one hand to help our thinking process, but also so that we might have a physical reminder of the journey we've been on. Scrapbooking is a fun and engaging way of doing the thinking, and while it could be a special and intricately made reminder of the year, it can also be an inexpensive memento. Start with 10 questions (or more...) and work through the scrapbook creating a page per question (or more!) This might be a good opportunity to print off photos that have been digital all year and store some special memories. Set the questions before you start - when scrapbooking with students I tend to go with things like

Page 1. This year I am proudest that… Page 2. But I am least proud that… Page 3. The best gift I received was… And the best gift I gave was… Page 4. This year I travelled to… Page 5. The most interesting thing I saw or learnt there was… Page 6. Things to say thank you for… Page 7. This year I’ve helped the world by… Page 8. I helped my community by… Page 9. People I need to say sorry to… Page 10. Things to remember for next year…

Whether you are doing this alone, with a class or with a family, it is a wonderfully practical way to help you reflect, think back, and consider in part what you would like to do differently next year, but also to reinforce what you'd like to remember to do more of next year!