Window Washers
While my blogging friends in the northern hemisphere are shivering through blizzards, here down under it’s mid-summer! Keeping kids cool and busy is sometimes a challenge. Inspired by a window washer on Playschool the other week, Little Miss 3 asked if she could do some window washing too – which I thought was a great idea! We have a glass sliding door which worked perfectly because the kids could wash the outside, rather than inside. I put a little dishwashing liquid into a play bucket, filled it up, gave each child a chux cloth and let them go for it.
No, they didn’t do a brilliant job cleaning the glass. But here’s what they did do:
- think of their own idea for an activity
- work together to complete a project
- replicate actions they had seen the window washer do
- laugh and have fun together as siblings
- cool down!
- play happily – without a toy in sight
- stand back and admire their handiwork
They really enjoyed doing this together, and I was reminded (again) of the importance of child-led play. I was also reminded that “toys” aren’t a prerequisite for play. I had everything on hand for this activity. I just needed a willingness to answer my daughter’s window washing request with, “Sure! Why not?”
must have been a day for it, our front door is looking rather spiffy too!
.-= Rizoleey´s last blog ..Busy Busy Busy =-.
Uncle Jason says he’s happy to train then when they’re ready to move to the next level! It always amuses me when children play at things we as adults hate doing! I remember as a kid playing ‘house’ and ‘shops’.
On a more serious note, I susptect in this day and age it’s important for children to learn how to amuse themselves without necessarily needing something to provide stimulation. To be self-sufficient. I had a friend the other say she couldn’t take her children camping because they wouldn’t survive without their playstation!
My daughter loves “helping” me do housework. This usually involves following me with a cloth and “wiping” here and there. The other thing she loves is using the dustpan and brush. We take turns sweeping and sometimes it is a struggle to get it back for my turn!
As they say, as soon as they can actually be helpful, they are not interested in helping anymore. I’m enjoying the “help” while it comes so willingly!
.-= Julie´s last blog ..Activities for 18 months + =-.
I have great window washers (never very clean windows though lol)
I found if I gave them a spray bottle with just water and a cloth they could clean the inside without too much damage.
Now that I have an enjo window cleaner they do an even better job! But sometimes they still want the spray bottle …
Great post.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Cold Good-bye =-.
this reminds me of last week when i told the pea he could go to the library, scrub toilets or take a nap. he chose scrubbing toilets! and after that, we washed all the windows! four year olds are great cleaners!
.-= Dana´s last blog ..Play Dough Scapes =-.
Your little clean team look very keen. Fantastic work!
I have found that kids love “real work”. My eldest son went to a Montessori preschool and his favourite activities where always from the practical life area – shoe polishing, orange squeezing, cheese grating etc. I think he really valued seeing the outcome of his efforts.
.-= PlanningQueen´s last blog ..Serabeena Give Away Winner and Social Media Update =-.
My daughter took it upon herself to clean our front door window last night. Looks better now than it did before. She got all the toos herself. I figured – why not? It did need to be washed and it certainly wasn’t going to get done by me and if it still needed to be washed after she was done with it I had lost nothing in the bargain.
.-= KDL´s last blog ..Sunday Digest 14 =-.
Must try this one with lil Miss Two
.-= Christie @ Childhood 101´s last blog ..The ABC of Child Care: D is for Daily Record =-.