"I hate laundry." I hear these harsh words a lot throughout my mom friends. And, truth be told, when there is a lot going on around here, laundry can feel that way. But recently I've been taking a new approach to Laundry Day. I call it Laundry Learning. As a homeschooling family five -three of which are school aged- I like to pull lessons from every day life. It makes things go smoother, lets me get more done and infuses boring lessons with necessary -and fun- life skills. Yes, I've turned laundry into a school lesson.
Not only do little helpers make the work lighter, they can also do some basic learning skills. The three year old can tell me the color of whatever she's hanging or attribute it to a certain member of the family. The kindergarteners can match, practice hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. We can make patterns with the clothes on the lines. Older kids can do fractions with folding, discuss global warming and energy reduction, solar energy use and track weather patterns. We can estimate and count the number of pins it takes to hang the clothes.
Learning is everywhere, even in the most mundane and disliked chores. Try out Laundry Learning and see how it can transform your lines.
It started with a sturdy cotton rope and a couple of screw in hooks. As I pulled the line taught, tying it as tight as I could, I had no idea how these simple tools would change me. At first, I thought it was going to pull my own inward line too tight, add too much work to an already frazzled schedule of parenting and homeschooling five kids. All of which are under the age of eight and generate a lot of laundry. I was nervous and apprehensive.
