Working for beans (literally!)

A few weeks ago we started a reward program for Brooke to earn summer toys, etc. There are two jars - the good bean jar and the bad bean jar. Each jar started with 50 beans (too many...we'll revise for the next round). Everytime Brooke had good behavior, good manners, etc. she got to move a "bad bean" into the "good bean jar". And the opposite is true for bad behavior. The object is to have all your beans in the good bean jar and when that happens you get a reward. So Brooke has been "working" for this Dora fishing pole for about 3 weeks now. And today she earned it! She and daddy spent the early part of the evening "fishing" in the living room. I should have had a video camera instead of a regular camera...Clayton would chase after the "lure" while Brooke reeled the line in.

So ultimately the goal is to teach Brooke that we have to work for the things that we get and the way we found to instill that for a 3 1/2 year old is with beans...it brings a whole new meaning to "working for beans." The other great benefit to this is that Mike and I are reminded to give her a ton of positive praise for coming downstairs dressed in the morning, eating all her vegetables at dinner, being kind/helpful to her brother, etc. It seems so easy to always be telling her the negative things she's doing and not drawing attention to all the positives. It has also been great in the middle of a tantrum to ask her if she wants a "bad bean"...most of the time she straightens up pretty quickly.