An age-old parenting battle is getting kids to clean up their toys and deciding appropriate discipline when they don’t. Once again, Tarragon and Chelsea have created a craft designed to remove the battle and focus on the fun. A rapidly circulating idea is the Ransom Chore Box, wherein one places toys that have been left out to be returned only upon the completion of a chore. So if we were picking up the toys anyway, why not get a chore out of our kids to get it back? It made total sense to us.

 

First we took the popular poem and sent it to our graphic designer. Granted, we might be a little spoiled in having a graphic designer at our disposal. However, we will share our good fortune with you and include the templates we used so that you can use them, too. The designer took the poem and made three different designs for us, one decidedly girly, one for little boys, and one neutral that would work well for older kids. Between the two of us, we have six children ranging from age two up to almost 14, boys and girls. So the three different templates worked well for our mix of kids.

Once we had our templates, we printed them on regular paper and trimmed along the edges. Next we mounted them on card stock for a nice border and to make them a little thicker and therefore sturdier.

The next step was completed two different ways. One way, the card stock was trimmed down to be a nice thick border all around the edge of the sign before laminating. The other way, we trimmed them down after lamination. After trying it both ways, we concluded that it was better to trim first, then laminate. The edges sealed better this way.

Whether they were trimmed or not, the next thing we did was send them through the laminator. We used the same machine and process as in our chore chart laminating demonstration from last week. Even with card stock, the lamination was simple and fast. The ones not pre-cut were trimmed down to size and filed away. Well not too far away, as they needed to be handy to put out when toys are found. Which, with six kids, happens many times a day.

As you can see, now we’re finished. This was a quick and easy craft that helped our houses stay clean. The best part is that it can be customized to any child. Simply take the poem, add a photo, print, and there you go. Feel free to use the images below to make your own signs. Join us next week for a look at making your own stickers.