Hard Knock Life of Kid Chores

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about having this time on the road with the kids this summer is all of the different types of chores they’ve learned. Being in Northern Wisconsin, you don’t have all the luxuries of the burbs like house cleaners, readily available dishwashers/washers/dryers, and full-service car washes, to name a few. It has been a great time to teach the kids the ropes of doing chores, so hopefully, when they’re older, they aren’t in shock when they venture out on their own.

As mentioned earlier, we’ve been using the Go Henry financial education app, which gives Hazel money on a credit card that we manage together, and she can save for things like gifts for her friends or pay for her subscription to Fortnight. Gavin is just learning and mostly happy to do the ones we give him - we reward him with ‘more money’ at the restaurants to play pinball and racing games.

Here are some images of the kids in chore action, and according to Hazel, some of this is really tough or gets in the way of her having fun. Still, she’s learning how to take care of herself, which makes me proud. When she’s finished, I can see a sense of accomplishment on her face which makes it all worth it.

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Laundromat

Both kids have learned how to do laundry while we are on our adventure. They help load the washers and switch over to the dryer. When we get home, Hazel puts all of the clothes away in each person's respective cube.

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Old School Car Wash

The kids had a blast with this one. They did the whole car inside and out except for getting the roof, which I helped finish. It cost more money because of the learning curve than going to a full-service car wash, but they learned, and I’m sure it will be quicker the next time.

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Dishes, Dishes, Dishes

So many stinking dishes, I really miss the dishwasher but the kids have helped wash, dry and put away what they can.

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Painting the Cabin

We have the most amazing rustic property that has been in our family for generations. However, that means it needs a lot of TLC. Grandpa John taught the kids how to get the outside of the cabin in tip-top shape with a few coats of paint.

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Sweeping

After it rains or heavy winds, our rug in front of the camper tends to get quite a bit of nature on it. Hazel has the chore of picking up what she can and sweeping off the rug.

Vacuuming

The kids drag a ton of sand and dirt into the camper or cabin - it feels like we are vacuuming nonstop. Gavin loves to use the Dyson; he pretends it's a laser gun to attack pretend monsters. Hazel is also responsible for vacuuming everything on her own at least once a week.

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Biking to the Grocery Store

We could take the bike trails to the grocery store. It was about a 5-mile round trip ride. Both kids shopped then put the groceries away when we got home. We agreed there was no complaining when things got tough to get their allowance, and we didn’t get one complaint on our grocery adventures.

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Cooking

We involved the kids with cooking, whether it was over a fire or the ninja foodie or family charcuteries boards. They do everything from snapping green beans to shucking corn and arranging platters of food for our guests. It makes it fun when the family is involved, and then we are committed to eating our meals together.

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Paddle Board

My splurge for the summer was buying this awesome inflatable Body Glove paddleboard from Costco. It was a fantastic investment, and the kids even love to help blow it up so we can paddle on it together.

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You Belong Among the Wildflowers

Since it’s over 30 minutes to a local florist, we have learned how to love picking Wildflowers from Grandma Lulu. It’s pretty cool learning all of the species up here for the kids. The rewards are a stunning vase on display and one happy Grandma.

Happiness is a Bowl of Raspberries

We were lucky to arrive at the cabin during wild raspberry season. There were so many we couldn’t keep up but did our very best. The kids picked them every day for about two weeks. They would have them as snacks, in their cereal, on ice cream. We have quite a few left and may make some jam this week. Stay tuned for a recipe.

If you have any more fun ideas for chores that are age appropriate, please drop us a line.

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Moving on up to the Northwoods

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Honky Tonkin Good Times