Click HERE to find it on YouTube!
Dirt Devil
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Spring Cleaning Game #5: Chore Tokens
It's token time! Watch this quick video for a tutorial on creating your own magnetic chore tokens. Create them just for spring cleaning season, or leave them up year round - and point your kids in their direction the next time they mention how bored and/or broke they are!
Click HERE to find it on YouTube!
Click HERE to find it on YouTube!
Customized Dirt Devil Dash Vacuum
Have you ever customized your vacuum? We commissioned pinstripe artist Kevin Moore to detail a few cleaners for us.
He customized more than two dozen Dirt Devil Dash dirt cups ...
personalizing them with names and adding unique pinstripe lines to each cleaner.
The resulting pieces were truly works of art:
He customized more than two dozen Dirt Devil Dash dirt cups ...
personalizing them with names and adding unique pinstripe lines to each cleaner.
The resulting pieces were truly works of art:
The finished product looks pretty good next to a more traditional pinstriping job ...
Click here to see the full video of Kevin working on the Dash, and let us know how you would trick out your own vacuum!
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Spring Cleaning Game #4: Freeze Clean
By Amber Matheson
What’s better than a game that gets your kids up and moving?
For parents, the answer might well be a round of cleaning masquerading as a
game! Here’s one way to turn Spring Cleaning into something that feels a little
more like fun and a little less like work – and it’s perfect for the littlest
members of the family.
Focus the game on one particular room – a playroom, one of
the kids’ bedrooms, or the living room. It could even be helpful on an area
like a messy hall closet. Start the game by shouting “Melt!” to signal your
kids to start cleaning/picking things up/putting things away as quickly as
possible. Signal them to stop by shouting “Freeze!”
Continue playing Freeze Clean until the room is clean. You
can also substitute music for the words, turning the music on when you want
them to clean and turning it off to get them to freeze, creating a sort of
musical chairs version of cleaning.
Warning – you may find yourself laughing too hard to clean –
but that’s the best part of the game. It just goes to show that even cleaning
can be a fun family activity.
Will you try Freeze Clean with your kids? Tell us below!
Friday, March 28, 2014
Spring Cleaning Game #3: Luck of the Draw
Effective spring cleaning means LOTS of individual chores.
Here’s a way to keep your kids motivated!
Hang a clothesline in a popular area of your home (yarn or
twine will also do), then hang index cards labeled with specific tasks. Here’s
a list to get you started:
Dust picture frames
Wipe baseboards in ________ room
Vacuum the furniture
Wipe down washer and dryer
Clean doorknobs
Wash light switches
Sort through clothes and make piles for donate and trash
Sort through toys and make piles for donate and trash
Clean fish tank
Wash kitty litter box
Rinse out trash cans
Dust wood surfaces
Wash mirrors
Clean under bed
Organize art center: throw away old markers, etc.
Clean out the microwave
Shake rugs
Dust electronics
Sort magazines and books
Dust bookshelves
Wipe down cupboard doors
Clean walls in ______ room
Wash patio furniture
Once you’ve got your chore line ready to go, write a series
of rewards on another set of index cards, then put them in a bag. The rewards
could be anything from a dollar, to a day at the zoo, to a toy they’ve been
wanting. Some should be big and some should be small. For the ultimate
enticement, let your kids know there’s one “super” prize in the bag – something
that’ll have them clamoring to grab a chore card.
When you’re ready to spring clean, let your kids choose a
chore of their choice off the clothesline. When they’ve accomplished the task,
let them choose a reward card at random from the bag.
Let us know how it works! What ways have you found to get
your kids involved in spring cleaning?
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Spring Cleaning Game #2: BINGO!
Spring Cleaning can unearth some, shall we say, interesting finds. So why not turn that trash into treasure with a Spring Cleaning game that gets the whole family involved? Whether it's petrified popcorn from that family movie night a couple months ago, or the sock you've been missing since 2013, these BINGO cards might even get your teenage son excited about giving his room a deep clean. Click the images for a downloadable version, and let us know how they work!
Friday, March 14, 2014
A St. Patrick's Day Plan: Five Tips for Getting the Best Spot at the Parade
Headed out to a St. Patrick's Day Parade? Here are some tips for a fun afternoon!
- The early bird catches the worm. Remember the best spots for the parade are the first to go!
- Dress for the weather, then to impress. There is nothing worse waiting for hours in the snow or rain with no coat.
- Try to be at the beginning route of the parade, first to see and first to leave.
- Where is the restroom? Keep an eye out for public restrooms for those unplanned bathroom breaks.
- Pack light. Try using a backpack for snacks, drinks and goodies. You know your kids will want to sit on your shoulders, so make sure your hands are free!
Friday, March 7, 2014
Spring Cleaning Game #1: House Party
By Amber Matheson
Spring Cleaning takes on a whole
new meaning when kids enter the picture. Before I had children my window sills
actually had a relationship with my duster, and I never googled “how to get
crayon off walls.”
That’s all changed now, of course,
with the addition of two loveable but messy rugrats underfoot. My house is
definitely worse for wear, and those nitty-gritty cleaning jobs have gone by
the wayside. But with Spring Cleaning on the horizon, I wondered: Are my days
of dust-free surfaces over? Or can I have it all? Simply put, is there a way to
marry a clean home with messy children?
Then is dawned on me: games. Kids
love games! So during Spring Cleaning season, I’ll highlight some of the
coolest kids cleaning games I can find – let me know if you implement any of
them in your own home this year!
Choose Your Own Adventure
This game, from the Teaching Boys’ blog, is pure genius in my opinion – as long as
you don’t mind indulging in unhealthy snacks from time to time. Although I
guess if kale chips are the treat du jour in your home, that’ll work too. This
mom got her boys to clean for five straight hours. How did she do it?
Step One: Draw a simple blueprint
of your house.
Step Two: Let your kids pick their
favorite treats, from chips and pop to staying up late and watching movies
Step Three: You assign a treat to
each room
Step Four: Start cleaning
together! For each room your kids clean, they win that reward.
Step Five: Have a party!
Step Six: Sigh. Repeat.
What tricks have you implemented
in your home to get your kids to be active cleaners?
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