Working it Out

We've been pretty uninspired about housework around here lately, so I thought we might need a new system to get us on track. Over the years, Bella and I have tried quite a few different chore systems to try to take the work out of work and make it fun. Some have been more successful than others, but each one has been entertaining in its own way - so I thought it might be a good idea to post a few of the family systems/books/resources we've tried, in case a few of you might like to give them a try too.

The first one we fell in love with was Handipoints. This website used to allow you to make chore lists for each child - and not just chores, but a lot of other good activities too, from homework enrichment activities, to exercise ideas, to general good behavior. Each came with an associated number of points. Points could be spent on activities that kids selected from another area of the website, things ranging from "Play a Game" to "Invite a friend roller-skating" - the fun activities were almost as useful as the chore lists. Another kind of points could also be spent in a virtual playland like Moshi Monsters or Webkinz, on a cat figure that decorated her house or played games. So much fun. Sadly, the website did an update in September, and I don't know about the rest of the world, but the Janicki family at least cannot get this website to work to save our lives. We're still crossing our fingers and hoping it comes back.

The second fun chore idea we've tried is called Chore Wars. This one allows you to choose a D&D style character. When you do a chore, your character gets experience points, which will be familiar to you if you've ever played old school D&D or Final Fantasy. Different chores also give you experience in different things (for instance, "washing dishes" takes both constitution and dexterity - don't want to drop the dishes, looking at old food may take a strong stomach ;) ). After so many experience points, your character levels up, and her stats change according to the tasks you've been performing. You also have a random chance of either meeting a monster or finding a dropped item. For instance, washing dishes gives you between 1 and 30 gold pieces, a 20% chance of treasure (such as a spoon - which in our house, can be redeemed for the opportunity to choose the next supper), and may lead to an encounter with a water elemental - which is a fake battle in static cartoon form. Your character hits, then they hit, etc., until one or the other of you is vanquished - no points there, but still fun!

Today's selection, an iPhone app, is a little like both systems put together. You Rule Chores is an app that allows players to choose a cartoon superhero, complete with a special power, such as "power over time and space" or kung fu prowess. After so many chores, your character will level up, giving them additional powers which you can see by touching them with your finger. For instance, Bella's kung fu girl can now catch a butterfly with chopsticks. Each chore counts towards this leveling, and also gives you between 1 and 5 coins. Coins can be saved up for rewards such as computer time or a trip to the ice cream store. I think the defaul reward settings are eminently reasonable, which is nice, as I don't really like to tweak much. For instance, "watch a movie at home - must start by 7 p.m." will cost 10 coins, which Bella could earn by cleaning her room 3 times, doing her homework for 3 days, or, if she was really, really feeling lazy, by brushing her teeth 10 days in a row. The graphics and sounds are nice, and it's fun to use. Currently, it's priced at $3.99 on the app store. It may be worth checking out!



If you have any fun ways around your house to pretend you're not doing chores, I'd love to hear them!