Machines & Cleaning Up

Reading
Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemsha 
Wheels at Work: Construction by Cocoretto 
Highlights: Hello! (September 2020) 

Singing

The Construction Vehicle Song by Ms. April  

(Sung to the tune of Frère Jacques) 

Excavator, Excavator 

Bulldozer, Bulldozer 

Empty out the dump truck 

Empty out the dump truck 

Steamroller, Steamroller 

 

Extension Activity (email to parents/caregivers)

Today, we talked a lot about machines, especially those that help us clean. From garbage trucks to dishwashers, and so many in-between! 

Have you ever considered letting your toddler help you load some non-breakable dishes into the dishwasher? What about vacuum or sweep the floor? You may be surprised to find that your toddler enjoys helping you with these types of activities. But, if they don't seem interested, don't force it. Just try again a different day. 

Here are some simple ways you can get started introducing your child to machines and cleaning around the house: 

  

• Consider letting your child help clean up a mess with a small hand-held or super-light vacuum.  
• Explain in very simple terms what a vacuum does. It sucks up dirt and trash into its dustbin.  
• Your child can even help you empty it, or watch you empty it, just like in the book we read this morning, Trashy Town in which Mr. Gilly empties the trash. 

• Sweeping is another fun way to get your child involved in cleaning. Consider letting your child use a small hand-held sweeper and dustpan: 
• Use some painter's tape to make a 1’ x 1’ square on a hard floor.  
• Then, put some things to sweep on the floor. This could be actual trash (something clean, like ripped paper or cardboard) or non-trash, like pom-poms or dry beans.  
• Ask your child to sweep them into the square on the floor, and then sweep them into the dustpan. This may take some modeling from you. You don’t have to explain it, just act it out. Toddlers learn best by watching you. 
• They can even practice pouring the contents into a container from the dust pan. 

Practical life experiences like these involve so much more than meets the eye. Your child is developing gross and fine motor skills, growing in their independence and perseverance, and also learning to follow sequences.  

One of the most important concepts your child will grow in from these types of activities is how to the care for their shared environment: your home! Just like Mr. Gilly in his neighborhood, they can learn to be helpful and do meaningful work that helps everyone in their home!