Getting Laundry Done
After discovering that at least two of my friend's 4 y/o daughters can do their own laundry, I have decided that there is no reason that MY 4 y/o daughter can't learn to do laundry. I've already been working with her on folding clothes (a skill she has mastered quite well). Why not take it the next step and teacher her how to drop her clothes in the washer and turn it on? I know she can't take them out of the washer (it's too deep), but she should be able to get them out of the dryer. She and Michael make an inordinate amount of laundry and if I can be saved even two additional steps, I'm all for it.
I decided to launch my initiative this morning. I had a ton of projects to accomplish today and having some help with the laundry seemed brilliant. Both kids were actually excited about the idea. After dragging their bag to the washer, they argued over who got to put which clothes into the machine. The problem was solved when Michael found a large stool and dragged it over. He stood on the stool and Amy handed him the clothes. Gales of laughter accompanied each outfit plopped into the machine.
They loved dispensing the soap and each took great pride in filling the cup about halfway full and then upending it over the clothes. Amy managed to turn the knobs and soon the machine was alive with activity. I let them watch it swish around for a while (stuck a clothes pin to let it work with lid up). They enjoyed trying to figure out whose clothes had risen to the surface only to be sucked back beneath by the machine paddles.
I had to help them transfer the clothes from the machine to the dryer. I also had to turn it on as the button was well out of reach for both of them. Amy was quite happy to get the big laundry basket to collect the clothes once the drier finished. All went well until she suddenly noticed the warning pictures on the drier door. She can read some words and was able to decipher "warning" and "fire." Somehow she got it into her little head that there would be a fire. Rushing away from the door, she came crying over to me asking me to put the "fire" out. It seriously took me 30 minutes to convince her that there hadn't been a fire, wasn't currently a fire, and probably wouldn't be a fire. And no, I don't smell smoke (she was convinced she smelled smoke) and NO we don't need to dowse the thing with water or the fire extinguisher (that was her next idea). Finally, sort of convinced her it was safe to get the rest of the clothes out of the dryer. A task she accomplished with exceeding great speed to avoid any further contact with an object that might explode into flames at any second....
Folding the laundry went pretty well. Amy folded everything and Michael put it all away. He did pretty well. I few things were mixed up (some of his underwear made it into Amy's underwear drawer) but overall most things were put into the correct drawers.
I think for a first time, they did pretty well. I'm excited! Perhaps soon I can dare to dream of the day when they'll be doing all their own laundry....
I decided to launch my initiative this morning. I had a ton of projects to accomplish today and having some help with the laundry seemed brilliant. Both kids were actually excited about the idea. After dragging their bag to the washer, they argued over who got to put which clothes into the machine. The problem was solved when Michael found a large stool and dragged it over. He stood on the stool and Amy handed him the clothes. Gales of laughter accompanied each outfit plopped into the machine.
They loved dispensing the soap and each took great pride in filling the cup about halfway full and then upending it over the clothes. Amy managed to turn the knobs and soon the machine was alive with activity. I let them watch it swish around for a while (stuck a clothes pin to let it work with lid up). They enjoyed trying to figure out whose clothes had risen to the surface only to be sucked back beneath by the machine paddles.
I had to help them transfer the clothes from the machine to the dryer. I also had to turn it on as the button was well out of reach for both of them. Amy was quite happy to get the big laundry basket to collect the clothes once the drier finished. All went well until she suddenly noticed the warning pictures on the drier door. She can read some words and was able to decipher "warning" and "fire." Somehow she got it into her little head that there would be a fire. Rushing away from the door, she came crying over to me asking me to put the "fire" out. It seriously took me 30 minutes to convince her that there hadn't been a fire, wasn't currently a fire, and probably wouldn't be a fire. And no, I don't smell smoke (she was convinced she smelled smoke) and NO we don't need to dowse the thing with water or the fire extinguisher (that was her next idea). Finally, sort of convinced her it was safe to get the rest of the clothes out of the dryer. A task she accomplished with exceeding great speed to avoid any further contact with an object that might explode into flames at any second....
Folding the laundry went pretty well. Amy folded everything and Michael put it all away. He did pretty well. I few things were mixed up (some of his underwear made it into Amy's underwear drawer) but overall most things were put into the correct drawers.
I think for a first time, they did pretty well. I'm excited! Perhaps soon I can dare to dream of the day when they'll be doing all their own laundry....
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