That might just be the most outrageous title I’ve ever written for a blog post. The more outrageous thing is that it’s completly true.
This is a trick we learned from our oldest daughter’s Girl Scouts Camp this summer.
The kids were asked to bring a five-gallon-bucket with a lid to camp each day–with their lunchbox, their coat, spare shoes, sunscreen and all their essentials. Then, they carried their buckets around with them all day and sat on them as chairs.
I originally dissed our daughter’s bucket (purchased for $5 or $6 at a Kroger hardware store) as an extraneous purchase we could live without and I was mad that it was being required of the camp.
That said, it’s been an essential piece of our summer routine–and saving us a fortune in fast-food and eating out that stemmed from my lack of planning the summer routine.
Now when we head out to the park or for a summertime adventure, the soccerball and lunchboxes and jackets all get tossed in. Then the kids go out to play–and I get to sit on the bucket and read or write. Kids get to play–my cell phone is safe and sound in the bucket away from sand, saltwater, soccer cleats and all the rest. Lunchboxes and water bottles are ready when the kids are.
The kids are also getting used to packing the bucket. They know from camp what belongs–so water bottles, lunches and sunscreen aren’t being forgotten–we can even write the checklist inside the lid!
I highly recommend this program for other busy families. You can get the white buckets at bakeries (often free), or pink at Fred Meyer, Orange at Home Depot, Black, White and Green at the garden centers. Have a fun summer!
