Cleaning Tip of the Day

 

Rense Benzin, available from any Danish supermarket.

From this:

With just a dab and a wipe:

To this:

Available from any Danish supermarket.

Montessori Activity: Cleaning Plant

Inspired by Mommy Moment

Age: From 2.5 years old

Activity Duration: 5 - 15 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To train the child's fine motor skills.
2. To train the child's patience at cleaning the plant.
3. To train the child's caringness towards plant.

Materials:

1. A handful of cotton buds (I use facial cotton pieces here, as this is these are the only ones I have at home)
2. 1 small dish with water
3. 1 tray
4. 1 plant with sturdy leaves

Directions:

1. Demonstrate by dipping the cotton bud into the dish of water to make it wet.
2. Then wipe a leave of the plant from beginning to the end.
3. Encourage your child to try.

Additional Information:

I find Montessori cleaning activities the most challenging. I am ashamed to admit that I am not very good with cleaning, and have never done lift a finger to clean as a child. This is very common in Chinese family, as the children are just expected to excel in studies. But for my case, it is because my mother told me that girls have to learn to clean, and boys do not. Thus, I rebelled.

As such, Montessori activity is really good for me too, as it gives me a chance to learn in a very simple and basic way, and in this case how to clean a plant. Yes, in the department of cleaning, I am starting at the same level as J, as a 2.5 years old, which is a very humbling experience, which I don't want J to go through at the age of an adult. Yes, he is a boy, and no, I don't have the traditional Chinese mentality here. I think he should learn to clean, even if he is a boy. I am very grateful to all the Montessori mothers out there, who shared all the cleaning lessons on their blogs. It has been very educational for me.

References:
http://www.mommymoment.ca/2011/02/plant-care-for-tiny-green-thumbs.html

Montessori Acitivity: Sweeping with Brush & Dustpan

Age: From 2.5 years old

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Objectives:

1. To train fine motor skills to swipe into a designated area.
2. To teach shape.
3. To teach the concept of inside and outside of the line.

Materials:

1. 1 small brush
2. 1 small dustpan
3. 1 small container of oatmeal
4. 1 tray taped and drawn with a rectangle in the middle

Directions:

1. Pour the oatmeal on the tray randomly outside of the rectangle.
2. Show your child how to sweep the oatmeal into the middle and say "all the oatmeal is now inside the rectangle.
3. Show your child how to sweep the oatmeal inside the rectangle into the dustpan.
4. Repeat by pouring the oatmeal on the tray again and ask your child to try to sweep it into the middle.

Tips:
1. You can also tape a circle or triangle shape in the middle for variety.

Additional Information:

Before introducing the Toddler's Cleaning Kit, it is good to first let the toddler try this sweeping activity. J (2Y5M8D) can't sweep the oatmeal into the rectangle yet. He swept it all over the tray, and sometimes on the floor. But I told him that he should try to swipe within the tray. He then tried to sweep the oatmeal into the dustpan, which he did pretty well.

Montessori Activity: Using Spray-Bottle

Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To train fine motor skill.
2. To train the child’s hand-eye coordination skill.

Materials:

1. 1 spray bottle filled with water
2. 1 small bucket
3. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your child how to spray water into the bucket.

2. Let your child try.

Tips:

1. While your child is at it, talk about the colour of the bucket. Talk about the water in the bucket.

Additional Information:

When J first started using the spray bottle, he had difficulty reaching the handle. Here is a simple way to isolate the activity to purely spraying using just 2 items - spray bottle and bucket.

This evening, he (2Y5M4D) tried this, and after spraying continuously for 10 minutes, he has mastered the art of spraying. Practise makes perfect, also for toddlers.

Montessori Activity: Toddler's Cleaning Kit

Inspired by Hapa Lab

Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Materials:

1. 1 container with a small rug or sponge

2. 1 small spray bottle filled with water

3. 1 tray
4. 1 kid's size table or chalkboard for wiping

Directions:

1. Show your child by spraying water on the tray.
2. Wipe it clean and dry with the rag.
3. Encourage your child to try.

Cost:

Mini-size spray: 10 DKK (2.40 SGD) I bought this min-size spray from the Chinese store Chao Chao at Lyngby train station, but you can also get it from Jysk Sengetøj, or simply re-use a spray bottle from the one you bought from the supermarket. Then it would not cost a thing.

Additional Information:

I think the cleaning kit can be a little bit to daunting for someone new to the lesson of cleaning. This is a much simpler kit, breaking down the lesson of cleaning into two parts - wiping and sweeping. In this lesson, the focus is only on wiping. Thus, you basically only need 3 things - rage, spray and water.

For younger toddlers from less than 2 years old, you can even simply it further with introducing just one thing - a wet rug.

4.7.2011 (2Y4M30D) - Joshua wiping the chalkboard

Montessori Activity: Preschooler's Cleaning Kit

Inspired by Hapa Lab

Age: From 2.5 years old

Activity Duration: 10 minutes

Materials:

1. 1 kid-size bucket
2. 1 handheld dust pan and brush or broom
3. 1-2 spray bottle(s) (to share with visitor) containing water or disinfection solution
4. 1 sponge
5. 1 rag

Additional Information:

I saw this 2.5 year old boy Zo doing a fabulous job cleaning, and got inspired. I have now set up the cleaning kit for J, and it would be interesting to see, if J would be keen to start to do some real cleaning.

After the making colored ice-cubes on 2.7.2011 taught J (2Y3M27D) to clean up and wipe his table using the cleaning kit I set up for him. It was a challenge for him to be able to use the spray, as his fingers could not reach the knob, but he enjoyed it.

Montessori Activity: Squeezing Sponge/Klemme Svamp/挤海绵 [jǐ hǎi mián]

Age: From 2 year old

Activity Duration: 5 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 - 15 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To train fine motor skill development.

Materials:

1. 1 basin half-filled with water
2. 1 container containing 4-5 sponges.
3. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Pour the sponges into the basin of water and show your child how to squeeze them one by one, saying, "this is how you squeeze a sponge".

2. Encourage your child to try.

Video Demonstration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2g9IXEGoWA&NR=1

Additional Information:

J (2Y27D) tried this on 1.4.2011 and he liked it quite a lot. He didn't do it "correctly" all the time. Sometimes, he will shake the sponge to get the water out instead. I guess he was just experimenting with the sponges.

References:

http://www.brighthub.com/education/early-childhood/articles/53890.aspx