I am raising collectors. It seems every time I turn around, what appears to be "junk" to me is a special treasure for my daughters. Seashells, acorns, feathers, rocks, pebbles, small toys and party favors, and more. My oldest daughter started a "treasure jar" with shells and items from nature in an old pickle jar. On one hand, this seems simple and practical. On the other, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of a 5 year old treasuring a glass jar at arm's reach from her accident prone sisters (ages 3 and 1). So, this week we pursued a very affordable solution to create a "safe box" for treasures and hopefully eliminate the stashes of shells and rocks I keep finding on random bookshelves around the house.
Last week, we went to Michael's Craft Store on a mission... each of the older girls were told they could select one small wooden box that they would paint and decorate as their very own special summer treasure box. Emily chose a box resembling a traditional child's jewelry box to be painted "Cinderella" pearlized blue and decorated with gems, Kayla chose a flower shaped box to be painted hot pink and decorated with a pre-painted wooden flower.
We made our selections and hurried home to complete our projects. Each girl sanded their box (with some help from Dad), then painted it in the chosen color. The next morning, I hot glued the decorations on each box (in the proper positions as selected by each girl) and voila! We have two cute boxes where the girls have been granted permission to keep their special treasures (and in exchange, there are to be no more "beautiful rocks" on my kitchen counters and shelves).
I think we may have found a new summer tradition (as summer seams to be the biggest season for collections in our family) and hopefully, a happy solution for everyone! Do your children have prized possessions and collections that get in your way? What creative solutions have you discovered?