There are many crafty things that are fun for children to use but we may not allow on a regular basis, for any number of reasons. For me, some of these items were stickers, markers and paints. My little ones knew they couldn't use them without special permission, but it always seemed they were asking at a very inopportune time. I didn't like the fact that I seemed to always be telling them "no", but I wasn't at a place to deal with the mess, and/or the level of supervision needed at that time .
One day my sister-in-law provided me with an answer to this, though she was totally unaware of the fact that I needed one! The mighty hand of God at work again! (STILL!!)
Nancy was cleaning out some furniture, desks and such that her children had used when they were students at home. She gathered together a varied collection of crayons (specialty ones like glitter, pearly & etc.), watercolor paints, markers, stickers, gel pens, unused stationery, black writing tablets and such. All was placed in a large shoe box and delivered to my house after she asked if I wanted it all, and received a resounding, YES!
While she was talking, telling me about the pile of stuff, my mind immediately labeled it "The Treasure Box" and I had the idea of allowing the "little lambs" to choose one item from the box, once a day or every other day or so. Since I knew the contents of the box and what they could potentially choose as an activity, if I scheduled "Treasure Box" time into my day, then I would be prepared to supervise and deal with the mess. YEA! Problem solved!
How does this fit into notebooking? you are probably now asking. Well, if you keep a supply of card stock on hand, then whatever "art" project your little ones make from the treasure box can be glued onto the card stock and included in their notebook. If they have done work on both sides of the page, glue an envelope ( some of those pretty stationery kind, or one you make from decorator scrapbooking papers) onto the card stock and place the "art" into the envelope. Voila! Art for your children, sanity for you, and a safe place to keep the finished project!!
In a nutshell, the idea is to put into The Treasure Box, whatever supplies and activities you want your children to have, but only on a limited basis. They have an opportunity to use them, you have established the boundaries for use, and everybody is happier!
One day my sister-in-law provided me with an answer to this, though she was totally unaware of the fact that I needed one! The mighty hand of God at work again! (STILL!!)
Nancy was cleaning out some furniture, desks and such that her children had used when they were students at home. She gathered together a varied collection of crayons (specialty ones like glitter, pearly & etc.), watercolor paints, markers, stickers, gel pens, unused stationery, black writing tablets and such. All was placed in a large shoe box and delivered to my house after she asked if I wanted it all, and received a resounding, YES!
While she was talking, telling me about the pile of stuff, my mind immediately labeled it "The Treasure Box" and I had the idea of allowing the "little lambs" to choose one item from the box, once a day or every other day or so. Since I knew the contents of the box and what they could potentially choose as an activity, if I scheduled "Treasure Box" time into my day, then I would be prepared to supervise and deal with the mess. YEA! Problem solved!
How does this fit into notebooking? you are probably now asking. Well, if you keep a supply of card stock on hand, then whatever "art" project your little ones make from the treasure box can be glued onto the card stock and included in their notebook. If they have done work on both sides of the page, glue an envelope ( some of those pretty stationery kind, or one you make from decorator scrapbooking papers) onto the card stock and place the "art" into the envelope. Voila! Art for your children, sanity for you, and a safe place to keep the finished project!!
In a nutshell, the idea is to put into The Treasure Box, whatever supplies and activities you want your children to have, but only on a limited basis. They have an opportunity to use them, you have established the boundaries for use, and everybody is happier!
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