June 2016 Visiting Teaching handout

Summer is really throwing me off!  Where did this month go?!?  Well if you are like me and need something for the last day of the month like I do I've got you covered.

I'm going to attach this cute handout to some cookies and promise to get my visiting teaching done much earlier next month.  

If you'd like to use it as well I like to paste mine in a word document to size and fit 4 on a sheet.  To do so right click on the picture, copy, & paste in a word document.  Hope that helps.

I am hoping to start sharing visiting teaching handouts every month and at the beginning!  I've been hit and miss in the past.  

Chore Jars

Getting my cute girls to clean has always been a struggle for me!  I have tried many ways and it either lasts for a day or fails completely leaving our house a mess or me doing all the work.  I finally found something that WORKS!

These awesome jars have changed the way we do things around here.

 I've discovered my kids are overwhelmed by the idea of cleaning an "entire room" even if there are only 3 things on the floor.  It takes them an hour, they shove things behind the tv or under the bed, garbage is set on the bookshelf.  It drive me nuts and leaves an even bigger mess.
So here's what we changed.  First they work together on one chore at a time.  They pick a room from the first jar and a number from the second.  If they pick living room and 20 then they run and pick up 20 things in the living room.  Then they are done with their chore.  Its easy and fast.

 Now here's the great part for me.  I decide how many sticks they draw and when.  Sometimes its 3 sticks (chores) before they play the wii or 1 several times during the day.  Sometimes I pick the room and they only draw a number.  Our other rules: 1. things have to be put where they go or you have to pick up double 2. count out loud  3. when its time to draw a stick you must stop what you are doing and do the chore immediately.  3. If there are not enough things to pick up in that room you finish up in the living room (or room of my choice.)

 In our house my kids earn points for extra chores or good behavior.  They can use the points for prizes (they loose money so this works for us).  As an added bonus for the kids I add a few surprise sticks that earn them extra points and every time a room is finished they put the stick in the done jar.  We determine how many sticks equal a point that the beginning of the day.

 It seems to be working and there is still excitement.  They are still asked to clean up after themselves and make their bed every morning.  Occasionally a room or a special job needs to be cleaned and that's their chore for for the day (or I give extra points for the job) so I do switch it up a bit.

If you would like to make your own I've included a free printable below.  I taped mine to pint sized jars (they do not wrap all the way around) and wrote on small Popsicle stick.

Summer of Fun Plan

We have a week left of school and I've been having fun pinning so many fun ideas to do with my kids this summer. However, I am really good at finding ideas its the "doing" that doesn't always happen.  This year we are going to try something new.  I keep seeing all of these fun schedules and thought this might be the perfect solution.  For me it makes the planning easy and my kids are so excited.  They helped me come up the days and a few ideas for each one.

Here's of plan

There are also many others all over pinterest, the days didn't quite work for us so I made my own.

On Monday we will be choosing a craft from one of our many pinterest boards, free art, or learning a new skill (sewing, crocheting, etc.)

Tuesday is the day we get out of the house.  We will head to the park, library, shopping, movies (our theater has $.50 movies on Tuesday), etc. 

Wednesday will be the day to try some new treats.  I know we have Popsicles and cookies on our list.

Thursday we will have fun learning! Some ideas are a read-a-thon, research projects, science experiments, and math games.  

Friday is basically a free day.  There will be lots of water play, card/board games, movie nights, play dates or whatever the kids want to do.

The best part is its summer and we are flexible.  So if we are going to the library on Thursday instead of Tuesday no big deal!  We just switch up the days.  The real purpose of the schedule is to make sure we are doing something and not wasting our summer days. If I can get them moving in the morning the entire day seems to run smoother, the tv is used less, there is less fighting, and they are having fun! 

You are welcome to use our plan. Click on the picture and save or copy and paste to a word document.  I also included one below without a flower.

I hope this gives you some ideas to make your summer memorable and maybe run a little smoother.