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Week 01 · Why We Help

Tuesday

Notice what needs doing
// A home runs on shared jobs
⏱ about 15 min

Tuesday: Notice what needs doing

Ferris the Fox stands at the den door with Riley the Raccoon. "Today we play the noticing game," says Ferris.

Riley looks around. "I notice a cup on the floor. I notice the water bowl is empty. I notice a blanket in a heap."

Ferris nods. "Every one of those is a job waiting for a helper. Noticing is the first step of helping. A helper does not wait to be asked. A helper looks."

The noticing walk

Before you can help, you have to notice. Noticing means looking around slowly and spotting what needs doing.

Most people walk past small things every day. A shoe in the hall. A towel on the floor. An empty roll of paper.

A helper sees those things. Then the helper asks, "Can I fix that?" Often the answer is yes.

  1. Stand in the doorway of one room.
  2. Look left to right, slowly, like reading a page.
  3. Look at the floor, then the surfaces, then the shelves.
  4. Say out loud what you notice that is out of place or empty.
  5. Pick the one thing you could fix in two minutes.
SPOT THE JOB
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
You notice a towel on the bathroom floor. What is the job?
Which thing in a room is easiest to miss unless you look slowly?
When should a helper look for jobs?

Three places to look

Jobs gather in three places. The floor, where things get dropped. The surfaces, where things get set down. The empties, like a water bowl or a paper towel roll.

Check all three and you will catch most of what needs doing.

PlaceWhat you might noticeThe job
FloorShoes, a toy, a sockPut each thing where it lives
SurfacesA cup, a wrapper, a bookClear it, toss it, or shelve it
EmptiesWater bowl, soap pump, paper rollFill it or tell a grown-up
PUT THE NOTICING WALK STEPS IN ORDER.
  • ?Check the floor, surfaces and empties.
  • ?Look slowly, left to right.
  • ?Stand in the doorway.
  • ?Pick one thing to fix.
  • ?Say what you notice.
WHY THIS EXERCISELooking before doing means you pick the right job. Not just the first thing you see.
What is the first step of helping?
Name one of the three places where jobs gather.
What should you do about an empty soap pump?
StatementTrue or false?
A helper waits to be told what to do.?
Looking slowly helps you find small jobs.?
An empty water bowl is a job waiting for a helper.?
You should fix everything in the room at once.?
WHY THIS EXERCISENoticing is a habit. Pick one small job at a time and the habit grows.
Try it
Do a real noticing walk in one room with a grown-up watching.
Say three things you notice. Fix the one you can do in two minutes.
Leave anything heavy, high or messy for a grown-up.
Safety first
Pick up only light, dry things. Nothing sharp, nothing wet, nothing from a high shelf.
If you find something broken, do not touch it. Tell your grown-up.

Well noticed, Helper! You can see jobs before anyone asks. Tomorrow you will pick three jobs that are just the right size for you.

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