Bennie the Bear stands beside the washer with a grown-up bear. Three sorted piles wait on the floor.
Oliver the Owl perches on a shelf with a clock. "A wash takes about forty-five minutes. If it starts at ten past three, when does it finish?"
Bennie loads the darks while the grown-up watches. The grown-up adds soap and presses start. Bennie counts on his claws. "Three ten plus forty-five is three fifty-five." Oliver hoots. "Now you can plan your afternoon."
The washer and dryer are machines. Grown-ups run them. That is the rule in every home.
A child can still do a lot. Carry the pile. Put the clothes in loosely, one handful at a time, while the grown-up watches. Close the door when the grown-up says.
The grown-up picks the setting, adds the soap and presses start. Then the waiting begins.
| Step | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Carry the sorted pile to the washer | Child |
| Put clothes in loosely, not packed tight | Child, with a grown-up watching |
| Pick the setting and water temperature | Grown-up |
| Add the soap | Grown-up |
| Press start | Grown-up |
| Move wet clothes to the dryer or a rack | Grown-up, child may hand them over |
| Run the dryer | Grown-up |
Elapsed time is how much time passes from start to finish. A wash has a start time and an end time.
If you know how long the wash takes, you can figure out when it ends. Then you know when to come back.
Here is how Bennie did it. Start at 3:10. Add 45 minutes. First add 40 to reach 3:50. Then add 5 more to reach 3:55.
| Start | How long | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 3:10 | 45 minutes | 3:55 |
| 4:00 | 60 minutes | 5:00 |
| 1:30 | 30 minutes | 2:00 |
| 6:20 | 50 minutes | 7:10 |
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| A child may press start on the washer. | ? |
| Elapsed time is how long something takes from start to finish. | ? |
| A wash that starts at 3:10 and takes 45 minutes ends at 3:55. | ? |
| Clothes should be packed tight in the washer. | ? |
You loaded a washer and planned the time. Tomorrow Bennie teaches the folds: shirts, pants and towels.