What Alexa set up for family home?

[thereisamouseinthehouse]

We're thinking it might be useful to have an Alexa set up around the house. I know Amazon usually do deals on them on Black Friday so I'm trying to work out what we need.
I think we'd have the main one in the kitchen where it would be useful for timers, shopping lists, random questions and music. Then an extra one in each of the DC's bedrooms which can be used by me to summon then and by them as alarms, random questions and music. Is there a way to get it to change colour of something? I'm sure I read something on here once where someone had an ingenious system of getting their DC's attention when they had headphones in and it involved flickering the lights or changing the colour of the light or something.
What else do you use it for? What set up do you have?
I've been anti them for ages but we have nothing interesting for them to listen in on and peri menopause means my memory is shot (even with HRT) so having a good reminder system in place appeals!

None. Let your kids have some privacy and don't put an Amazon data collection device in their bedrooms. Terrible idea.

I presume you have a phone. Why not just set timers on it? Why not put music on manually and look things up online yourself?

We have an Alexa in the kitchen and each bedroom. Love it! If you google or go on YouTube there’s lots of help about getting the best options. We bought my parents a couple for Christmas last year. They can’t imagine being without them.

WTAF

We have one in the kitchen for cooking timers, shopping list and the radio.

One in each of the kids' bedrooms for bedtime music and stories plus alarm clocks.

One on my desk so I can listen to music.

We sometimes turn the privacy switches on when we're not using them. I'm not particularly bothered about our inane family babblings being listened to tbh. If they want to hear me saying "put your shoes on" 50 times every morning, good luck to them.

I'm not sure there is going to be any data for an Alexa to collect in the DC's bedrooms. They are either in there sleeping, doing homework or messaging their friends. If it had been 20 years ago and they were on the phone for hours each evening moaning about school, talking about boys and so on then that would be different. Even when they listen to music and things that tends to be through headphones. All Alexa will gather is that I have two scatter brained children who constantly shout "have you seen my..." or "I can't find my..." or "just give me 5 minutes". And perhaps be able to pick up an idea of what they're studying at school from the questions they are being asked.
As I said, I was against the concept for ages but realised we're just not interesting