My sister sent me this link to a YouTube of Bible Songs or all the books of the Bible, in order as written in the Bible and then, set to music. It is a funky song that somehow reminds me of The Beatles. Listen to it
here. In fact, often I turn up some music to change the grumpy mood that can set in among our tribe. You know mama. One child is not happy about something and then it just spreads among the others like a plague. So, get some music on to change it. It works every time,
every time. I used it this morning as the boys were fussing about the almost three year little sister who was wrecking their Lego paradise. As if that won't happen again...sigh. This will be a fun song to play repetitively through our days so they can learn the names and maybe the order..maybe I will too. There was a song about the
50 Nifty United States that I believe I learned when I was about 8 years old or in second grade. To this day, I still know it and can now teach it to my children. I used to know how to play along on my old guitar too. I wish to dust that thing off too and play at times but that still has stops and starts to it...as you may have read in the last post, my fingers are busy knitting and what fun all that can be for me!
Chore listing. What is that? Charlotte Mason has written much on the value of habit training. Go to this
link to read on about natural consequences and soak up why we should value it in teaching our children. And, sadly, I see children when I am out and about, who just have not had much training. They seem to "grow like weeds" as a friend said to me one day. Besides that very hands on story, what about obedience and submission to the Lord? These values are imparative. Children should be permitted to be messy, uncoordinated, sloppy, forgetful and silly but that does not mean that at a young age, we do not "train" them up right. In keeping with those thoughts and beliefs, I have realized that along with teaching Financial Peace, Jr. from Dave Ramsey, order
here, I needed a definitive, monetarily tied chore list. A list that they can choose from, on their own, in order to gain cash. So my hope is that it won't just be me doling out chores but they can
choose to work and reap the benefits, and the cash money. I also have a new reader who can read these to his younger sibs so there will be no assistance from me in choosing to take the needed initiative. So here is my list so far, it is very short and carefully thought out, all ages and abilities considered. It is not finished, there is plenty to add!! :
Fold laundry load and sort into piles $.75
Collect garbage cans with lids and put back behind gate, close gate $.50
Mommy or Daddy back massage ;-) $1.00 (so far, my favorite!)
Do you have a list to share that you tie a money value to for your children to choose from on their own? Please share as I would love the help! I do have chores that they are expected to do and not get paid for such as get dressed, make bed, feed/water cats, brush teeth...and all the details of those chores that still require coaching.
Well, we don't give allowance yet. Not for any philosophical reason, just because we don't! But our kids do have their daily chores. After breakfast they empty the dishwasher together. Then they have a list in their room to complete. Not exactly chores, but basic hygiene. After they are dressed, faces washed, teeth brushed, hair combed, bed made- they come into the kitchen to flip their chore chart. Everyday they have an additional chore to complete. Like cleaning windows, washing the sinks, vacuuming the rug, sweeping, etc. Levi and I usually work side by side. Not for the little ones, like gathering all the towels and putting them into the washer, but the vacuuming. He needs help with the hoses and what not! But he loves to vacuum so I let him do it!
ReplyDeleteThis is helpful, thanks mandi, I could develop a chore for each day of the week or atleast three of them. There are plenty!
ReplyDeleteWent on a 2 hour cleaning/decluttering frenzy yesterday. In the last two weeks, I purged our video library, baby/tot clothes/mama clothes, (then yesterday) organized and tossed the broken things in our living room toy closet and, tackled some things to donate and remove/reorganize in my craft studio. I also made a trip to the resale shop and donated two small pieces of furniture..feels good! Hope my children get the "bug" for decluttering by example. Martin and I are excellent collectors but not so good at the downsizing part at times.
I will be thinking on this idea...dishes? Uh, we break so many already! ...will have to think about that one but, the resale shop always has decent dishes for sale. On our tile floor, if it hits, it breaks. However, glass Kerr jars for drinking, the half pint size, are great for little hands to drink and handle and are tougher than Montessori drinking glasses. I do plan to get Gunnar washing and then putting on the line or in the dryer his own clothes and linens, this fall. He is ready and responsible, with me around, I think. Plus, he always seem to run out of underwear?!