Clothespin Chore Chart

by Christine Vick, Ideas by Lee Chipman

Your grandma (and maybe your mom) used them to hang up the wash. But the common clothespin has potential outside the laundry room. Dress it up, or use it as is, here's an easy way to turn a household staple into a knockout chore chart.

1. Purchase a piece of black foamcore board, and cut it to the desired size (this will depend upon where it will be placed, and how many jobs will be listed).
2. Using a white paint pen or adhesive lettering, list each job, leaving one to two inches in between the lines. Consider giving the jobs fun titles--my kids fight over being sous chef (kitchen helper) or parking attendant (person who puts away all the outdoor toys).
3. If desired, use a hot glue gun to apply a strip of ribbon along the top of each clothespin (alternately, spray paint or decoupage them). For a simple look, leave the wood plain.
4. Cut one inch squares of heavy card stock. You will need at least two squares for each child; figure out how many clothespins are necessary to assign the tasks, and divide that by the number of children in your family.
5. Using a marker, adhesive lettering, or a computer print out, label the squares with your children's initials (or full names, if you prefer). Laminate the squares.
6. Using a hot glue gun, attach the card stock squares to the open end of the clothespin (not the spring-loaded side).
7. Decide how the jobs will rotate (daily, weekly, monthly), clip the clothespins to the foamcore board, and watch the work begin!