Disclosure: I received free product in exchange for an honest review through voiceBoks.com. No other compensation was received for this post.
Kids will say the darndest things. Sometimes what comes out of their mouths is silly and cute. Wouldn’t that be nice if it was always? Those often innocently spoken words can even leave you with disbelief or horror on your face.
Chris Phelps, a mom to Emma, a kindergartener, was shocked when her daughter unexpectedly used a not so nice four letter word. She wanted to teach her daughter how to cautiously select her words and actions. This is how Tacky Box came about.
Shortly after starting to use a box to tuck away not nice words, Emma and her little brother, Jake, enjoyed separating appropriate and inappropriate words. It became kind of a chain effect because they then wanted to reach out to their friends and help them select appropriate words too. Chris’s friends, Karen Cuskey and James Regester saw how the Tacky Box impacted Emma, Jake, and others. They wanted to share Tacky Box with others and help make the world a kinder place.
Chris partnered with her mom, Cindy Kent, who was a former educator and professional artist. Cindy co-wrote Max’s Magnificent Choice with Chris and illustrated the story. Max is a monkey who learns new words from Pete the Parrot. He then uses these new words to try and join in the fun with his other jungle neighbors. Unfortunately, Pete has not been saying good words, but words that are tacky. I would go a step further to describe these words as mean. Max runs into Mr. Owl who shares the use of a tacky box with him and learns what words are appropriate and nice to help him be kind in communicating with others.
Tacky Box includes Max’s Magnificent Choice and a wooden Tacky Box for your child.
The instructions say to sit down with your child and read Max’s Magnificent Choice (will be Margo’s Magnificent Choice if you buy Tacky Box Set for a girl). The story is 32 pages and comes in hardcover. Talk with your child and discuss inappropriate words and behaviors from the story and compare it to our world. Then praise your child and present them with the 5″x8″ Tacky Box, which they can decorate. There is an enclosed writing pad for your child to then jot down tacky words and behaviors.
The act of writing down the word or action and placing it in the box symbolizes your child’s commitment to remove tacky words from the heart and mind. Enjoy watching your child self monitor words and behavior and set an example for others!.. And, get ready for the ripple effect. -How to Use the Tacky Box
I had requested Tacky Box for my son, who turned three in December. I thought I had read somewhere that this product was recommended for children 3-8 so I had planned it as an activity for him and I while both of his older sisters were off at school. My son liked having the book read to hime, but had no interest in decorating the box. We went over some of the inappropriate words used by Max in the book, but he just repeated the words.
My oldest, who is seven, was eyeing the set on my kitchen counter so when I sat down with my son on another attempt, she grabbed the notepad and wrote down some of the words from the book, like fatso, stupid head, and dummies. She also wrote a word she had heard that was inappropriate. My oldest liked the idea of discarding them in the wood Tacky Box. She was really gunning for the chance to decorate the box too, but I am hoping to attempt this activity again with my son when he is a bit older. I think this product would probably be best suited for children ages 5-8, maybe some four-year-olds.
The Tacky Box Set is $29.95. This includes the book, wood box, small notepad, and instructions for use.
To learn more about The Tacky Box, please visit tackybox.com
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