My Painted Dream Journal 

Project Materials & Tools:● Blank book* canvas● Acrylic paints● Paint applicator (brush,

sponge, your fingers)● Polymer clay● Craft glue● Curling ribbon● Scissors

* You can find blank books with whitecovers at educational stores and outletsthat sell teaching supplies (like Let'sLearn). Also, you can use othernon­painting techniques (markers, graphicpens, etc.) on the book cover instead ofpaint. This project is just a starting pointfor the endless possibilities that existbetween you and your imagination. Runwith the endless possibilities!

Project Instructions: 

1. Paint the dream journal book cover.

The first step is to paint the cover of your book. Be creative in your design and technique — make it abstract or representational or make it dreamy! To preserve the clean pages inside the book, I kept the book closed and painted one side at a time in a sponge­like fashion, alternating between drying times. If you're careful, you can paint the whole cover at once by opening the book up and laying it down flat. Be sure the paint dries completely before adding your clay accents in step two. Painting Tip: The book cover will warp if you apply too much wet layered paint. If this happens, you can gently encourage (slightly bend) the book cover inward after the paint dries completely. 

2. Create and bake your clay accents.

Assuming you're going with the clay, now's the time to create your clay accents or decorations to glue to the cover of the book. Be sure to make and bake the clay according to the package directions before adding it to your work of art. Clay Tip: Decide on the shape, size, and color of your clay based on what your painted canvas looks like. Match the colors or create something with a contrasting flair. I made simple heart decorations to glue to my covers, making sure the side to be glued was completely flat before baking. They worked out great. 

3. Glue on the clay accents.After your accents bake and cool, position and glue them on your book covers. Be sure tolet them dry before adding finishing touches. Make sure theydon't fall off either.

4. Finishing touches for gifting away or found art.Finish off your Dream Journal by securing it with colored curlingribbon. This classy touch not only looks nice, but it will keep thejournal closed and the pages clean until you give it to that specialsomeone.

Dream Journal Date:__________________ Day of the Week________________

Time to Bed_____________ Time Awake____________________

Describe your dream(s) that you had in the spaces below. Use a separate sheet of paper to write down the dreams you had each night. Include as much detail as you can remember. If you need more space, use the back of this paper.

Dream 1_______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Dream 2_______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Dream 3_______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Some Questions to Make You Think

1. Are your dreams in color?

2. Do you have a "sense of time" in your dream?

3. What emotions did you have during your dream?

4. How many different dreams can you remember in one night?

5. Do the same people, events or places reoccur in different dreams?

6. Do some events that happened during the day appear in your dreams?

7. If you think about something before going to sleep, does this "something" appear in your dreams?

8. Does watching a movie or a TV show influence what you dream about?

9. Does eating certain food influence what you dream about?

10. Does your mood affect what you dream about? If you are happy, do you dream about different things than if you were sad?

11. Are dreams on weekdays different than dreams on the weekends?

12. Does the time of year influence what you dream about?

13. Does the time you go to sleep influence what you dream about?

14. Are nighttime dreams different from dreams you have if you take a nap (or fall asleep in class)?

15. Are dreams different when you are sick?

16. Are dreams different when you take medicine?

17. Do you remember dreams you have had in the past? How long ago?

18. Do you have the same dreams more than once?

19. Are your dreams similar to the dreams of other people in the class? Compare some of your notes.

20. Can you remember your dreams better when you wake up by yourself or when you wake up with an alarm clock?

Paper Plate Dream Catcher 

● paper plate ● yarn, any color 

● hole puncher ● craft beads 

● craft feathers ● color markers 

● scissors 

 

Instructions: 

1. Begin by cutting in the center of the paper plate. Leave a rim of 2 inches all around the paper plate 

2. Take your hole punch and punch hole in the rim of the paper plate, about ½ inch apart each. 

3. Measure out your yarn 5­6 ft long. Tie one end of the yarn to any one of the holes on the rim of the paper plate. 

4. Weave the yarn up, over, and all around the paper plate from one hole to the next one. You can make your pattern any way you like. Make sure to loop through each of the punched holes. 

5. You can add the craft beads to the middle of the dream catcher with the yarn as you go through the holes. Simply slip them onto the yarn and continue with the next hole. They will appear to be in the middle of the dream catcher. 

6. Once all of the holes are threaded with the yarn, tie a knot at the end of the yarn with the plate and the last hole. 

7. Now, take your hole punch and punch 3 more holes in the paper plate at the bottom of the plate. 

8. Cut 3 more pieces of yarn, about 5 inches long each. 

9. Take each piece of yarn and tie them to the 3 punched holes at the bottom of the dream catcher. 

10. Choose some beads to thread onto each of the 3 yarn pieces and then tie one feather to the end each of the hanging yarn pieces. 

11. Take your markers and decorate the edges of the paper plate. 

12. Lastly, make a piece of yarn the length you need to hang it on the wall. Punch one more hole to the top of your paper plate dream catcher and tie the yarn to it. 

13. Hang your new Dream Catcher in a place where sweet dreams are welcome. 

 

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