# LIFE BOOK



## naoise (Feb 17, 2005)

Hi girls

Hope you can help we are doing our life story book at the minute and are not soo sure how to word it or how to set it out, dh got a brilliant memory box which contains an album, stickers and coloured card and stamps, we had ordered the whoozit album but we found it too babyish for the age we are going for, and help would be gratefully received.

love k


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## sanita (Oct 27, 2005)

Hi Naoise

We did our family book in a lever arch folder.  We used different coloured card and stuck all the pictures onto the card (us, close family, house inside and out, garden, cars, local playground, pets etc) .  We then decorated each page with stickers, glitter etc and added a short caption explaining what the photo showed.  We featured a large teddy in each picture and showed the teddy in the bath, at the dining table etc.  We then laminated each sheet.  We added a sheet of mirrored card and put a caption on the bottom of it to say "Look who else is coming to live here".  Because we are not matched yet, we will probably re do our family book a bit to reflect the age / sex of child we are matched with.

I have heard a few people mention recently that they were asked to do a video or DVD to send to the Foster Carers for showing to the children.  We have just bought a new camcorder and DH is hoping that we get asked to do this.  I am dreading it as I hate being photographed never mind being on camera.

I really enjoyed doing our family book, I hope you have a fun time with it.

Sanita


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## superal (May 27, 2005)

Hi Our DS was nearly 4 and we did a small photo album for him.

In the photo album we put photos of ourselves, the house, the car, daddy's motorbike, the pets, the garden.

Under each we put a few words.

Under our photo we simply wrote Mummy Andrea and Daddy ***** (Sorry due to his job I keep his name quiet!)

Under the picture of his bedroom we wrote your new bedroom where there is lots of room for all your toys.

We did not include pictures of other family members but I know alot of people do, it's up to you on that one, we were advised just to do it on us and introduce family photos at a later date, during contacts.

If I remember correctly, you are going to have 3 daughters so it may be best to do one each for them, our DS never put his down once he was given it and I can imagine there may be a few tears if one keeps it all the time, didn't you say they were ind different FH as well?

Just make it bright, cheerful and hard wearing and it will be a great big hit!

Love
Andrea
xx


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## KarenM (Jul 30, 2002)

Hi Naoise

We used the software on our Kodak easyshare as they had got album pages that you could add photos to. We picked ones with toy boats, toy trains, dolly's, magic castle and rubber ducks!

We then put pictures on each page with a caption.

There was a great one on our prep course that did it as a lift the flap story book, however whilst I can visualise what I want it to look like my creative talent doesn't stretch that far.

Here's a link to an earlier thread which also contains another link to another thread too.

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=42687.msg530580#msg530580

Good luck
Karen x


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## saphy75 (Mar 15, 2004)

we used a med size photo album (one of the ones with sticky pages) and stuck photos of us, ourhouse & pats onto shiny card and we added lots of pics from ELC also we got some foam letters from ELC so our names, room names and so on were written in foam letters but as it happened i put in a lot of effort and it wasn't needed as chunk was only 14 weeks old  

pam xx


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## cindyp (Apr 7, 2003)

Ours was just a photo album with a few captions as we have no creative talents whatsoever.  That's why I was so pleased to just be told we have to do another one, NOT!  

I'm sure whatever you do will be fine.

Cindy


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## GuitarAngel1979 (Sep 8, 2005)

It may be helpful to go to a shop that sells "Scrapbooking" materials. They have really cute materials to use to brighten up the pages. 

I have a question....If we are applying for a "baby", do we still have to make a life book?


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## thespouses (Jan 5, 2006)

GuitarAngel - yes, you do need to make a book as I understand it, but I also hope you have been talked to about the realistic chances of you being matched with a baby who would be too young to look at pictures etc.?

One thought I had was to make a teddy bear and cut out the spare fabric into a teddy shape, and put it in the book - then even a child who doesn't really appreciate pictures yet would associate the fuzzy fabric with the new teddy they would get, and an older child would have a multi-sensory book.


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## jilldill (Feb 2, 2006)

Hi,
We didn't make a life book either as Sunshine was too young so can't help I am afraid.
Love JD x


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## magenta (Nov 2, 2004)

We made a very basic photo book for Bubbles (19months at time of matching)- just a few pages with simple captions - 'mummy' ; 'daddy'; 'our house'; 'our garden';' the park'; 'gran and grandpa'; granny and grandad'; our friends xxxx and xxxxx'  - the people and places she would see in the first month or two.

so that she could flick through the pages and each person 'reading' it to her said the same about each photo.

After our first visit we added an extra page with a photo of all three of us - so she could see that she was in the book with the mummy and daddy in it.  Not sure if it worked but foster carer pointed out at reviews that she was very attached to book and everyone had to read the story to her.

We will be adding more pages in the next month or two (just 3 new pages) to put in extra people and places we visit like Sunday School - with a picture of her wee friends.

We used a 6" x 6" scrapbook and trimmed photos to fit.  We got coloured backing card in the right size in the same shop (WHSminth).  each page has a disney character - cut out from wrapping paper!  We also laminated each page before putting it in the page protector - this has given it extra ' long life' as we have a very active and boistrous toddler who would otherwise have ripped it in her enthusiasm .

magenta xx

magenta x


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## EML (Jul 25, 2005)

Dear All
We have just finished our home study and I too have been wondering about our life book... I have an added pressure as I'm an illustrator and expectations will be high about what I'll come up with... your ideas have been really helpful!
Love
EML


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## naoise (Feb 17, 2005)

Everybody


Thank you very much for all your ideas and we have definitely taken some of them and added them to the book we are quite pleased with what we have done so far. It is very colourful and hopefully age appropriate, we have used the small whoozit album for the little one as I am sure she will enjoy it.

Thanks again K


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## ♥ M J ♥ (Apr 17, 2004)

sanita said:


> Hi Naoise
> 
> We did our family book in a lever arch folder. We used different coloured card and stuck all the pictures onto the card (us, close family, house inside and out, garden, cars, local playground, pets etc) . We then decorated each page with stickers, glitter etc and added a short caption explaining what the photo showed. We featured a large teddy in each picture and showed the teddy in the bath, at the dining table etc. We then laminated each sheet. We added a sheet of mirrored card and put a caption on the bottom of it to say "Look who else is coming to live here". Because we are not matched yet, we will probably re do our family book a bit to reflect the age / sex of child we are matched with.
> 
> ...


This is what we have done for our photo album to be sent for our DD and DS and we have made them one each so they can look at it with the FC together and not fight over the album

I got a5 sized white/clear folders and then have got some sicker letters to write "xxx photo album" - we are putting in about 14 pics to ours and its easy for the layout of the pics to be changed if needed as its just in a folder.


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