This post is so overdue. Many things got in the way of me getting to this point, printer issues, (thankfully I found some amazing folks who helped me get them printed), the biggest issue holding me back I think is learning to juggle life responsibilities and starting a business. I believe I have a ways to go in mastering this but I am finally able to offer these for sale.
Some of you have been incredibly patient waiting for me to get to this point, others may be asking what are Task Trackers? So let me give you a bit of a history behind them.
My younger brother was diagnosed with brain cancer when he was 4, as a result he lives with side effects. One of which is that he can struggle with staying on task during the day. He also seems more relaxed when he knows what his day is going to hold. My Mom was sharing with a friend about how she was looking for away to give Joel some independence in his day, but felt that when his days were scheduled he managed the day so much better. Her friend suggested Board Maker and drop off a sample.
We both looked at the bald character and found him, well…lacking, of course he serves a purpose and is used all over the place, but we felt in our home Joel needed something that more closely represented him. I painted little watercolour pictures of various activities he would need to do in the day, we hung them on the wall with mini clothes pegs and so began the Task Tracker.
My Mom was so pleased with them that she shared them on a Homeschooling page on Facebook in a short amount of time many folks were asking if they could have a set too. When the first person asked I thought sure I can do that but as more and more folks asked I realized I could not possibly paint an individual set for each person, I needed to figure out how to make sets to sell. At 15 this was a whole new world for me, over a year later I am pleased to finally have something to offer.
Task Trackers can be used with special needs children who need help staying on task but they can also be used in place of a chore chart. Some folks buy velcro strips and use them in a folder and move them from one side to another as each task is checked off. Others will buy magnet strips and have them on the fridge. As I mentioned we use a little clothesline to set up his day.
The cards are made using quality card stock and then laminated for durability.
Each set includes 21 cards;
- 3 different snack cards
- 3 meal cards (breakfast, lunch, & supper)
- bed
- brush hair
- brush teeth
- get dressed
- tidy up
- help in the kitchen
- storytime
- craft time
- playdate
- outdoor time
- school time
- bath time
- shopping
- screen time
- surprise
I decided to let the image stand for themselves for more than one reason, they work with any language, most of the children using them aren’t reading anyway, and some of the cards could have more than one meaning. The school time one could mean time to go to school, daycare, library, homeschool. Play date could be sibling time if it fits with your family. Screen time, could be a movie night, it could be a desktop computer, or a gaming system. The star card is your wild card use it for any special event or surprise that you might have up your sleeve!
I also put together some additional cards that can be purchased on the side. The pet cards include a cat, dog, hamster, guinea pig, fish, and bunny. There is a handwork card featuring knitting, a painting card, a garden card, a barn, a Bible, a praying card, and a baking card. Again some of these cards could have different meanings to different families use them however works best for your family.
Pricing… A basic set of 21 cards sells for $30 Canadian, with the additional cards going for $2 each or 3 for $5. (Plus shipping.)
To place an order you can contact me through my Facebook page Painting Posies and we can arrange for you to order them using PayPal.
Thank you for your patience, support and encouragement!
Taliah
If you go back far enough there are Montgomery’s on my mother’s side of the family. (That has to count, right?)
My little sister Hannah enjoys dancing up a storm around here, she is becoming quite the ‘Wee Highland Lass.’
This post features some of my Celtic Greeting Cards. (I had to add a picture of Hannah too because, well, isn’t she just the cutest thing?) Many of these images can also be purchased as a print and a few as bookmarks.
