Summer Swap Shop

by Betsy Van Dorn

"I'm bored!"

"Please, please can we rent another video?"

"Oh no, it's raining again!"

Here's a project your kids can undertake on a dull day when there's Absolutely Nothing To Do. It's a great way to attack clutter, reduce waste, and exercise a little control over one's wardrobe. It'll get your kids organized for the fall, and it demonstrates that recycling isn't just about bottles and cans. Depending on their age, kids will need a little supervision from you.

What to Do
Ready. . .
Contact one or more parents whose kids are friends with yours and invite them to participate in a clothing swap shop.

Get set. . .
Have your children go through their drawers and closets and sort out their school clothes into separate piles.

Go!
Sort the clothing into categories. You might label them this way:

• Keep It: Items in this category are ready for school and can go back in the closet -- unless they need repairs.
  
  
• Toss It: This pile is for perfectly good things your kids never wear. Since there's no point in hanging onto something you really can't stand, get rid of it and hope it'll look great on someone else.
  
  
• Outgrown It: Use items in this category for hand-me-ups or -downs.
  
  
• Fix It: Broken zippers, missing buttons, rips 'n tears -- everything that needs repairing goes here.

Your Two Cents
Once kids have created their piles, they need your feedback. After all, you paid for all this stuff! If you don't agree with your child's decision to deep-six the brand new jacket you bought last year because it's not the latest fad, you need to weigh in with some common sense. This can be a good opportunity to discuss the vagaries of fashion, peer pressure, and whatever else spins off when people talk about tastes and preferences. So often, conversations about values are theoretical, so here's your chance to be concrete!

Getting Down to Business
Now set up a swap shop in the corner of your family room, the garage, or the porch, and set a time frame when your children's friends can bring their own items to swap. The shop might be open only an hour or two during the day, depending on when you're available to be a consultant.

When "business hours" are over, all leftovers get packed into plastic bags and taken to your favorite local charity. If you and your kids enjoy this kind of activity, you might want to try it again and expand the swap shop to include discarded toys, games, and books.

More on: Family Values