Donna Erickson: Create a summer jobs chart, then enlist your little helpers

Fourth-graders at Lake Harriet Community School in Minneapolis did weekly classroom chores during the school year. (Donna Erickson)

When my husband spent a month re-searching educational systems in Japan as a Fulbright visiting scholar, one of his lasting memories was observing the daily cleaning time held in every school he visited. Kids geared up in tall rubber boots and long gloves, grabbed sponges and mops and cleaned the facilities from top to bottom.

Teaching respect for school property starts with giving kids responsibility for keeping it tidy and clean, the Japanese educators told him.

So, why don't we do that in the States?

Guess what? We do.

Before school was out, I visited Room 111 at Lake Harriet Community School in Minneapolis to see a class of fourth-graders abuzz getting nitty-gritty chores done. The kids said their job system gets their whole class digging in every week to scrub, scour and organize the classroom for the week ahead.

Thirty-one jobs are listed on sturdy laminated sheets with a clothespin (labeled with a student name) clipped to the left of each job. Each week, clothespins are moved to the next chore so every student easily sees a new responsibility.

It's an easy system that yields big results. When it's Friday, smudges on glass doors disappear, the lunch bins smell sweet, books are sorted on shelves and the "worker bees" develop pride in their classroom as well as respect for one another.

And the students say their rotating system works because it's never boring. There is always something new to learn and do.

Enlist your school-age kids to take part in your family's own summer jobs list. With simple planning, you'll be a step ahead in keeping the house in order. Here's how to get started:

1. Brainstorm little "everyday jobs"