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Week 03 · Laundry, Start to Finish

Family Helper Day

Family Helper Day: One load, start to finish
// Sort, read the tag, wash with a grown-up, fold, put away
⏱ about 15 min

Family Helper Day: One load, start to finish

Bennie the Bear stands by a full basket with Ferris the Fox. "Today I do the whole chain. Every link."

Ferris checks the Helper chart. "Sort, tag, machine, fold, put away. Who runs the washer?" Bennie points at the grown-up bear. "Always."

Ferris smiles. "Then you are ready. Start the clock when the wash starts. Plan your afternoon around it." Bennie tips the basket. The chain begins.

  1. Sort by color and fabric. Check pockets.
  2. Read the care tags.
  3. The grown-up runs the washer and dryer. You load and plan the time.
  4. Fold on a flat surface. Towel, shirt, pants.
  5. Put away by owner, then by kind.
◇ DO ONE LOAD TOGETHER, START TO FINISH
Step 1: The child sorts one basket into whites, darks and colors. Check every pocket.
Step 2: Together, read three care tags. Pull out anything that needs the gentle pile.
Step 3: The child loads one pile loosely while the grown-up watches. The grown-up runs the machine.
Step 4: Look at the clock. Say the start time. Work out the finish time together.
Step 5: The grown-up moves the clothes to the dryer or rack. Wait for them to dry.
Step 6: The child folds on a table: towels, shirts, pants. Then sort by owner and put away.
Safety first
The grown-up handles soap, settings, buttons, and anything hot or wet from the machine.
Never climb into or lean into the washer or dryer.
Let dryer-warm clothes cool a minute before folding.
Wash hands after sorting dirty laundry.
For a grown-up
Say what you do at the machine out loud. The child learns without touching it.
Let the child work out the finish time alone first. Then check it together.
A crooked fold that stacks is a success. Praise the stack.
FAMILY HELPER DAY CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Who runs the washer today?
The wash starts at 10:00 and takes 45 minutes. When is it done?
What is the last link of the chain?
How many piles does the child sort the basket into first?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThree color piles is the first link, the same as Monday.
StatementTrue or false?
The child loads the washer while the grown-up watches.?
The child adds the soap.?
Folding happens on a flat table.?
WHY THIS EXERCISELoading, timing and folding are child jobs. Soap and machines are grown-up jobs.

One load, start to finish. Next week Bennie and Lucy move to the kitchen: washing hands, washing produce and measuring.

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