On Friday I found myself wandering around the shopping precinct close to work trying to find something to use as a reward for my daughter's good behaviour the previous night at bedtime. Normally I wouldn't use this method of bribery to aid me in the challenge of the bedtime routine but dinner was close to completion and Britain's Got Talent was starting within moments (I confessed, your smiling but we both know you were watching too)! As the time allocated to my lunchbreak was rapidly slipping away and having found very little in the limited choice of shops I had to my disposal. I put my last hope in a shop I usually avoid due to the excessive queues and my tendency to buy random objects I don't need just because they are, no more or less than one hundred pennies of my hard earned wage packet! For those whose bank holiday weekend has been long and alcohol fuelled, I am referring to the nation's much loved, PoundLand.
Before being completely condemned for the use of rewards and bribery to get my daughter's obedience, I must point out this is only used in emergency situations, that the reward is never food or drink that will result in the funding of a dentists new car and the reward is always creative or educational in some way.
Fighting my way through the lunchtime masses I managed to find the aisle with what appeared to be arts & crafts plus some dog food and random carpentry tools! With barely minutes to spare I grabbed the item pictured above as it looked creative and the princess theme should please my little angel.
Moving swiftly on to yesterday afternoon and the time arrived to sit down and assist my daughter with her reward. Opening the package we are presented with 13 pieces of card with shapes cut in their interior, a fair number of small foam pads and a 11g stick of PrittStick. Praying for instructions that make even the slightest amount of sense, we are happy to see the clear instructions below (I say we but if I am honest the 4year old next to me really didnt have the same excitement for good instructions as I do)!
We quickly decided who would be doing the popping out, folding of the pieces provided and who will be using the glue (I am sure no Brain surgeons are required for this one). I found the pieces easy to pop out and the folds perfectly formed making them very easy to manipulate in accordance with the instructions. With the help of my lovely assistant we are quickly well on our way and having lots of fun, folding and sticking our masterpiece. As we go I am instructed to take photos periodically to show mummy how we did it so naturally I oblidged (risk of 4 year old temper loss too great to refuse)! Please see below...
At this point the top has been put on back wards and I am lucky enough that Abigail prefers it that way otherwise I could have been in real trouble...
As you can see Abigail was very pleased with the final outcome and so was I. I hadnt expected it to look so good as after all it was just card and a bit of glue. The total build time was approx 1 hour, which we could have shortened but when your having fun, whats the rush?! On the packet it had given a guideline of the parental involvement required depending on the age of the child (Abigail is 4) and in my opinion they hit the mark. I was heavily involved but I must say some parts (chair & table) were really fiddly and took a large amount of patience which for 4 year old Abigail (and her 33 year old Daddy) found really difficult, as patience is a virtue neither of us possess!
We thoroughly enjoyed our time together and are already planning to see if we can find the other models available. I hope that others will get the same enjoyment from this or any other creative task they sit down to complete with their children.
Product - Pritt Create Your Doll House
Purchased From - PoundLand
Reason for Purchase - Reward for good behaviour
Time to complete - 1 Hour approx
Cost - £1!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saisfaction from completion and fun had together - Immeasurable!
In Comparison - Cost of sweets/chocolate/fizzy drinks as a reward - £1-£2 + obesity, pain and loss of teeth - Don't take what you believe to be the easy route when they are young!
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