Montessori "Table Washing" in the art room..

Table washing in the art room. The ultimate demonstration of mastery with  obvious intrinsic rewards.

Here is the lesson for "Washing a Table" as prepared by the Montessori Guide at infomontessori.com

Not only does this lesson increase the level of concentration in the child,  this and many other  Montessori lessons are presented from left to right and top to bottom to prepare the brain for reading.

Washing a Table

Material

- A Cloth to accommodate the layout of the materials
- A Jug
- A Basin
- A Bucket
- A Brush on a dish
- A Sponge on a dish
- A Bar of Soap on a dish
- A Drying Cloth
- An Apron

Presentation 

Introduction

Prepare a table to be washed. Invite a child to come by telling them you have something to show them.  Tell the child that we are going to need aprons for this activity and then you and the child put on aprons. Have the child bring the appropriate basin (filled with the brush, soap, sponge, and drying cloth) over to the table. Have the child place it on the floor next to the bottom right of the table. Then have the child bring over the bucket (filled with the jug and cloth) over to the table and place it to the left of the basin. Tell the child that you will be showing him how to wash a table. 

Preparation

1. As you take out each object, name it or have the child name it to see what his vocabulary is for this activity.
2. Take out the cloth from the bucket and unfold it to the right of the table. Lay it out flat and in a horizontal position.
3. Place the basin onto the cloth in the bottom left corner.
4. Take out the dish with the brush, using both hands, and place it directly to the right of the basin.
5. Take out the dish with the soap, using both hands, and place it directly to the right of the brush.
6. Take out the sponge dish, using both hands, and place it directly to the right of the soap. 
7. Take out the drying cloth and place it above the sponge dish.
8. Take out the jug from the bucket and place it above and to the right of the basin.
9. Place the bucket underneath the table. 
10. Pause so the child can take in the layout.
11. Pick up the jug and fill it 1/2 full of tap water.
12. Bring it back to the cloth and place it in its spot.

Presentation

1. Squat down and pick up the jug.
2. Pour half of the water in the jug into the basin and replace it in its spot.
3. Pick up the brush by the handle with your right hand and dip it into the water.
4. Let go of the brush and pick up the soap with your left hand.
5. Bring the soap over to the basin and pick up the brush with your right hand.
6. Rub the soap and the brush bristles together, but point the brush down toward the water so the least amount of soap splash occurs.
7. Once there is enough soap on the brush, replace the soap onto the soap dish.
8. Stand up and place the brush at the top left corner of the table.
9. Make medium circular movements with the brush from left to right. Pause once you have gotten to the far right corner so the child can see the soapsuds.
10. Repeat these scrubbing movements form left to right, top to bottom until the entire table is lathered. (Apply more soap onto the brush when needed.)
11. Rinse the brush and replace it onto its tray.
12. Place the sponge into the basin and get it wet.
13. Squeeze out the water by using your two hands.
14. Wipe off the soapsuds from top to bottom, left to right. (Same movements as Dusting a Table.)
15. Rinse out the sponge when needed.
16. Once the table is cleaned, rinse the sponge and place it back onto its dish.
17. Pick up the drying cloth and using the same top to bottom, left to right movements as with the brush and the sponge, dry off the table.
18. Replace the drying cloth in its spot on the large cloth.

Completion

1. Bring the bucket out from underneath the table.
2. Pick up the basin with both hands and pour the water into the bucket.
3. Replace the basin back onto the cloth.
4. Replace the bucket underneath the table.
5. Pour the rest of the water from the jug into the basin.
6. Pick up the brush with your right hand and rinse it once again. 
7. Replace it on its dish.
8. Pick up the sponge with your right hand and rinse that as well.
9. Squeeze out the water using both hands.
10. Replace the sponge on its dish.
11. Rinse the sides of the basin by running your fingers around the edges of the basin. 
12. Take the bucket out from underneath the table.
13. Pick up the basin and pour out the water into the bucket.
14. Replace the basin on the cloth.
15. Pick up the bucket handle with our right hand.
16. Pour out the water from the bucket into the sink by placing your left hand under the bottom of the bucket and tilting the bucket forward to pour out the water.
17. Bring the bucket back to the table and place it next to the table.
18. Using the drying cloth, dry the jug, the basin, each dish (except the soap dish), and then the bucket.
19. Replace the drying cloth in its spot on the cloth.
20. If there was any water on the floor, show the child where he can find the towel for drying the floor.
21. Dry the floor and replace the floor towel in its spot.
22. Show the child where to hang the drying cloth up to dry and then where he can find a dry drying cloth. 
23. Replace the wet drying cloth with a dry one.
24. Invite the child to wash the table. Tell the child that you will replace your apron and tell him that once he is done, you will show him how to put everything away. 
25. Once the child is done washing the table and drying all the objects, show him how to put everything away by placing the correct objects in the basin or bucket (opposite order as when setting everything up). 
26. If the cloth is wet, show the child where to hang it up and where to find a dry cloth. Replace the wet cloth with a dry one.
27. First put the bucket back onto the shelves and then the basin. 
28. Then have the child take off his apron and hang it up.

Purpose 

Direct: To enable the child to independently wash a table and so care for his environment.
  Indirect: Control of muscular action particularly of the hand, light as well as energetic. Remembering the order and sequence of actions leads to the development of concentration.

Points of Interests  Seeing the soapsuds forming on the surface of the table and then seeing them come off with the sponge.

Age 2 1/2 -  4 years