Making Chores Fun - Mow The Lawn

There are some chores that I'm not the one responsible for completion of, I don't mean chores that I get the children to help out with like Cleaning the Windows, but I mean I really just don't do them! I don't put the bins out (although I do), I don't put petrol in the car (although I will) and I don't mow the lawn (unless I am trying to induce labour). They are Daddy's jobs (he has a few others and always helps out if I ask him to) and he too understands that making chores fun means it isn't just the children who enjoy the benefits of making a chore a game. In the words of Mary Poppins;

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. 

You find the fun, and - SNAP - the job's a game!"

I would also add SNAP the job's done, but instead I will just let you sit there for a minute with that goofy grin on your face thinking about Michael trapped in the toy cupboard yelling "Let me out!".

Now let me just be serious for a moment there is no way that mowing the lawn should be carried out by anyone who isn't a responsible adult and it should never be explained to children as being a game because lawn mowers have blades and blades cut more than just grass! Always make sure that you are wearing suitable footwear and have a power breaker installed as well as never ever ever working on a lawnmower whilst it is plugged in if it is an electric one! So how do you make this chore fun, whilst maintaining safety?

Whilst Daddy starts getting the lawn mower ready, and checking it over, he has Top Ender and Big Boy race to clear all the garden toys away and to check for any stones, pegs sticks or anything else that could cause injury if it was thrown up by the lawn mower. Racing against each other gives a nice competitive element to get everything cleared from the lawn and means that they don't disturb Daddy whilst he is checking the lawn mower over. All is needed is a quick inspection by Daddy to make sure that nothing obvious has been left on the grass and to move the moveable play equipment that is too heavy for Top Ender and Big Boy.

As our garden is already roughly cut into two by a path up the middle of the lawn Daddy is able to keep the children to an area where they are in no danger. As we have an electric lawnmower without a roller, we don't worry about having green stripes on our lawn (although we do have a "proper" lawn mower if we want the stripes) and Daddy will cut the lawn with the children shouting encouragement! With one side of the lawn cut Daddy then moves on to the other side, with the children helping by moving all the equipment to the other side of the lawn.

It's fun because everyone works together and I think that everyone will agree that a mowed lawn makes a garden look fantastic!