SEARCH NIGHT!!!
When a piece of something goes missing in the house, it’s never a random Lego block or some interchangeable part. It’s always the one life-or-death critical piece that makes the whole toy or appliance not work. And looking for it can drive you insane.
It got so bad around here that we started Search Night. We keep a running list of everything we’ve lost, and then on a uneventful Saturday night, the whole family starts at one end of the house and looks for everything at once. This proved to be a revolution: When you look for just one item, you’re likely to come up with zero. But this way you’re bound to find something.
To recruit helpers, though, you have to reward them, and the pay structure can get pretty complicated.
It got so bad around here that we started Search Night. We keep a running list of everything we’ve lost, and then on a uneventful Saturday night, the whole family starts at one end of the house and looks for everything at once. This proved to be a revolution: When you look for just one item, you’re likely to come up with zero. But this way you’re bound to find something.
To recruit helpers, though, you have to reward them, and the pay structure can get pretty complicated.
Questions
Wee ones (counting on fingers): If you get 2 M&Ms for each Search Night item, and you find the 4 missing Candy Land people, how many M&Ms do you earn?
Little kids: You’ve negotiated to get 1 M&M per toy part you find, but 9 M&Ms for Mommy’s lost earring. If you find the earring and 6 toy parts, how many M&Ms do you get? Bonus: If you find 10 parts in total, what’s the greatest number of M&Ms you could get?
Big kids: Your deal is 1 M&M for most items, but a Hershey Kiss instead for every 6th item you find. If you find 13 items, how much of each do you earn? Bonus: Suppose on every 10th item you don’t get either of those – you get a pack of Airheads. If you find 30 items, what’s your take?
Little kids: You’ve negotiated to get 1 M&M per toy part you find, but 9 M&Ms for Mommy’s lost earring. If you find the earring and 6 toy parts, how many M&Ms do you get? Bonus: If you find 10 parts in total, what’s the greatest number of M&Ms you could get?
Big kids: Your deal is 1 M&M for most items, but a Hershey Kiss instead for every 6th item you find. If you find 13 items, how much of each do you earn? Bonus: Suppose on every 10th item you don’t get either of those – you get a pack of Airheads. If you find 30 items, what’s your take?
Answers:
Wee ones: 8 M&Ms.
Little kids: 15 M&Ms – that’s 9 for the earring, and 6 for the toy parts. Bonus: You need the earring in there, so 18 M&Ms: 1 earring (9 M&Ms) and 9 toy parts.
Big kids: 2 Kisses (for the 6th and 12th items), and 11 M&Ms for the rest. Bonus: 3 packs of Airheads, 4 Kisses (for the 6th, 12th, 18th, and 24th items – but not the 30th!), and 23 M&Ms for the rest.
Little kids: 15 M&Ms – that’s 9 for the earring, and 6 for the toy parts. Bonus: You need the earring in there, so 18 M&Ms: 1 earring (9 M&Ms) and 9 toy parts.
Big kids: 2 Kisses (for the 6th and 12th items), and 11 M&Ms for the rest. Bonus: 3 packs of Airheads, 4 Kisses (for the 6th, 12th, 18th, and 24th items – but not the 30th!), and 23 M&Ms for the rest.