Tricia shared this idea in the Twitter feed earlier in the summer. We decided to give it a try, and it has been so much fun, I wanted to make sure nobody missed it. It is the “I’m BORED” jar, posted at Skip to My Lou by Somewhat Simple.
I’m Bored Summer Edition
You can get all the details in the original post, so I’ll just share how it has worked for us. First, I went through the list of suggested activities and deleted a few that maybe wouldn’t work so well for us and added a few of our own. I didn’t buy anything to make the jar. I used an old candle jar and ribbon I had leftover from another project.
Then comes the fun part – using the jar. I am a rule person, but there is just one rule that goes along with the jar. Whatever is drawn out has do be done with a positive attitude, and that includes Mom. I didn’t put anything in the jar that couldn’t be done on a moments notice.
So if I say “yes” to drawing from the jar, I have to say “yes” to whatever comes out. Our jar has about 2/3 fun activities and 1/3 chores/not fun stuff. The kids know that there are plenty of things in there that could be considered work. They still love to draw from the jar.
It has been a wonderful addition to our summer. Thanks Tricia for sharing this great idea!
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Originally published July 2010
Sounds great! I’m thinking I may have missed it when Tricia shared it =)
Oh I love how you adapted it – including the positive attitude rule all around (even mom!)
Let me guess. Did you take out the “dress up” piece of paper?
Yes we did 🙂 And added some like “play with Amber (our dog) for 30 minutes”.
That is SUCH a good idea! And I love that “rule” – everyone has to say “yes” with enthusiasm (including mom). 🙂
I also love that the jar has some “chores” in too. What a great way to add a bit of productivity to summer days!
That is such a good point you make! I’m going to let my girl draw 3 things and pick the one that sounds best to her, but I need to accept whatever she picks!