Daniel’s Message Board

Daniel and Mum are setting up an art afternoon for his cousins. They plan to paint at the garden table. “They might come through the front door and not know where we are,” says Daniel. Mum finds a small board.

Daniel draws a tree beside their outdoor table on a large card. Mum helps attach it to the board by the hall door. Daniel’s cousin Lily looks at the picture. “Art is in the garden,” she says, heading outside.

Then rain begins to spot the table. They carry the art things into the kitchen. When the next cousin arrives, he looks at the board and walks towards the wet garden. Daniel catches up. “Our message is wrong now!”

The first picture is firmly taped down. Daniel cannot change it neatly without tearing the card. “The plan can change,” he tells Mum. “Our board needs to change too.” They bring it to the clear kitchen table.

Daniel makes another card showing the kitchen table. Mum fixes wide hook-and-loop patches to the backs of both cards and the board. Daniel presses the indoor picture into place. He can lift it away and put it back without tearing it.

They keep the unused garden card in a broad pocket beneath the board. Daniel checks the current picture before his last cousin arrives. “Which place does it show?” he asks Lily. She points to the kitchen table behind them.

The last cousin sees the indoor picture and finds everyone painting in the kitchen. Daniel smiles. After a while, Mum asks what they should do if they paint outdoors another day. Daniel shows her how easily the cards swap over.

When art afternoon ends, Daniel puts both cards in the pocket. The board is ready for the next plan. “A message needs to match what is happening,” he says. Lily adds a little paintbrush picture to the pocket so they can find the art cards.