MAKE IT CUTE

Even though this summer isn't what anyone planned, it's possible that we'll one day miss this strange period of time. Looking back to March, the last few months feel so chaotic— a global pandemic that closed schools across the nation, a national reckoning with systemic racism, and a tense election year. One day, future students will study first-hand accounts from teens like you to better understand a post-coronavirus world, so before we start our busy remote learning schedules again, here's how you can document the summer of 2020 for later generations!

Make a summer 2020 scrapbook

Channel your inner Lara Jean Covey and scrapbook your summer adventures. A scrapbook is an adorable way to keep photos, memories and cute stickers all in one place to look at whenever you want to. Of course, to start a scrapbook you need, well, a book. 

This Kinsho photo journal from Paper Source is the perfect vessel for your scrapbook. Each page is completely blank so you can format it however you choose, and it has a pocket in the back to store the photos or items that didn't fit on the page. 

Question: What do you put in your scrapbook? Answer: Anything you want! Cute photos of your friends, pets or scenery, the artwork you made or memories written in by hand. If you want to add more embellishments, we recommend checking out products like these:

This set of 4 rolls of washi tape are available on Amazon in tons of different colors and patterns. 

These completely adorable potted plant stickers from Paper Source are sure to make your scrapbook pop. 

Create a video diary

If you don't love visual art, you can make a video diary to document your summer! A video diary can be a retelling of your fave summer stories, interviews with friends or siblings or just a fun day-in-the-life vlog. The camera on your phone is perfectly fine for this, but you can go a little more hardcore. 

This YouTube vlogging camera recorder from Amazon is what the pros use, so if you want to publish your diary, go ahead. But we highly recommend just using your phone camera to start.

And if you post some of your videos on Instagram or TikTok be sure to tag @girlslifemag! 

Bury a time capsule

...Or just hide it somewhere in your house. Time capsules are a great way to capture your little corner of the universe. Fill up a small box with notes from friends, your favorite face mask, a newspaper— just get creative! By the time you're ready to bury your capsule, it should be filled with everything that's important to you at this moment in your life. Then in 50 years (or five), you can dig it up and laugh at your cringe-worthy outfits.

Keep a journal

A cute journal is a great place to jot down all of your feelings or record your accomplishments! Use a journal to make to-do lists, sketch, write bad poetry, save story ideas, etc. Personalize it to best fit you, and in a few years, you can read through it to remember everything you did this summer.  

This summer wasn't what anyone planned, with camps closed, trips cancelled and quality time with family and friends limited, but it means that the adventures you did have were even more meaningful. However you choose to document it, summer 2020 is not going to be one any of us forget! 

by Elise Esquibel and Molly Greenwold | 8/10/2020