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Week 01 · Why We Help

Thursday

Make the Helper chart
// A home runs on shared jobs
⏱ about 15 min

Thursday: Make the Helper chart

Oliver the Owl lands on the den table with a ruler. "A plan you cannot see is a plan you forget," he says.

Ferris the Fox spreads out a fresh sheet. "Jobs go down the side. Days go across the top. Each box gets a check when the job is done."

Bennie the Bear draws three rows: Buster, mail, table. Then seven columns. "It looks like a game board," he says. Ferris grins. "Every check mark is a point."

What goes on the chart

A Helper chart is a written plan. It has three parts. Your jobs, the days of the week, and one box for each job each day.

When you finish a job, you put a check in its box. At the end of the week, the checks show what you did.

A chart does the remembering for you. Instead of being asked, you look, you do, you check.

JobMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Feed Bustercheckcheck
Carry in the mailcheck
Wipe the tablecheckcheck

This is Bennie's chart on Tuesday evening. Read it and find the job he missed.

READ BENNIE'S CHART
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which job did Bennie miss on Tuesday?
How many checks did Bennie earn on Monday?
What goes down the side of a Helper chart?

Build your own

You can make a chart with paper and a pencil. A ruler helps the lines stay straight, but it is not required.

Write clearly so anyone in the family can read it. Hang it where you will see it every day, like the fridge or your door.

  1. Turn a sheet of paper sideways.
  2. Write your three jobs down the left side, one per row.
  3. Write the seven days across the top, one per column.
  4. Draw lines to make a box for each job on each day.
  5. Write Helper Chart and this week's date at the top.
  6. Hang it with a grown-up where you will see it daily.
PUT THE CHART-MAKING STEPS IN ORDER.
  • ?Write the three jobs down the side.
  • ?Write the days across the top.
  • ?Draw lines to make boxes.
  • ?Hang it where you will see it.
WHY THIS EXERCISEWriting the labels first means your boxes end up the right size.
What do you put in a box when a job is done?
How many day columns does a weekly chart have?
What does a chart do for you so you do not have to be asked?
StatementTrue or false?
The jobs go down the side of the chart.?
You check a box before you do the job.?
A chart should hang where you will see it every day.?
You need a ruler or the chart will not work.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe chart only works if it is honest and easy to see. Checks come after the job.
In the story, who said a plan you cannot see is a plan you forget?
WHY THIS EXERCISEOliver is the planner of Fern Hollow. He knows that written plans get done.
On paper, draw your own Helper chart. Put three jobs down the side and seven days across.
Safety first
Use a pencil or crayon. A grown-up hangs the chart and handles any tape or pins.

Your chart is ready, Helper! Tomorrow Freddy and Rosie help you review the week. You will learn to keep the chart going.

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