Something You Can Do

In the story “The King’s Servants,” Daniel and Rosie learned to have fun while they worked. You can do that, too! Here are a couple games to start with, but you can think of more if you use your imagination.

Making Work Light

The Button Game: for Dusting

In this game you will need:

• 5 to 10 buttons
• a “Hider,” to hide the buttons
• one or more people to be “Dusters”

First, the Hider should carefully hide the buttons around the room. Make sure the Dusters are not watching, so have them stay in another room. The buttons can be hidden in very hard places, but only where someone should be dusting.

Now the Hider should come out and tell the Dusters how many buttons are hidden. As the Dusters begin dusting, they should look carefully for the buttons. This is a rule: you need to be sure to dust off everything thoroughly, or else you won’t be allowed to keep the buttons. To win the game, you will have to find all the hidden buttons and make sure there is no dust left in the room.

Another idea is to have the Hider hide a certain amount of buttons without telling how many. Then the Dusters will have to dust very well to be sure to find all the buttons. At the end of dusting, the Hider will count to see if they found them all or not.

This game can also be made into a test. When someone has to dust a room, hide some buttons without letting them know. Afterwards, ask them how many buttons they found. If they dusted well, they should have found all the buttons.

Good places to hide buttons: on books or bookshelves, on any dusty parts of wooden furniture, in or between knickknacks, under doilies (that need to be shaken out), behind or on anything dusty. You can also ask your mom for other good places.

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Find the Thimble: for Kitchen Cleanup

Does your mom ever ask you to clean up a messy kitchen and you don’t feel like it? This game might make it a little more fun. Singing also helps, so why don’t you practice your new song while you work?

Ask someone else if they can hide a thimble among the dishes, kitchen machines, counters, or cabinets that you will need to clean. Then ask them to hide it very well.

To find the thimble, this is what you have to do: (if you are working with someone else, do this together) Begin by rinsing and stacking the dishes. While you work, look carefully, but you may never hunt without cleaning at the same time. After the table is cleared, wash it off.

Next, make up the dishwater and begin on the dishes. (I like to let the silverware soak, then wash the cups, bowls, plates, and serving dishes. Last of all clean the silverware and large pots and bowls.) Keep your eyes open for the thimble! Even if you find it before you finish cleaning, don’t quit. A good worker doesn’t give up, but presses on until he is done.

Finally, rinse out the sink, wipe off the kitchen mixers, counters, cabinets, and stove top. Leave the kitchen shiny clean, and I am sure you will put a happy smile on your mother’s face!