Material
Underlay.
Metal polish in a small dropper bottle.
Small dish (ideally made of metal).
Applicator stick and cotton balls.
Flannel buffing cloth, 4″ squared.
Sponge.
Basket.
Aprons.
Presentation
- Invite the child to the lesson.
- Explain that the child will learn how to polish metal.
- Put an apron on, along with the child.
- Show him the tray and underlay.
- Ask him to pick a table.
- Ask him to bring the tray.
- Bring the underlay.
- Ask him to place the tray at the top of the table.
- Remove the metal underlay ring, place it on the table.
- Slowly unroll the underlay.
- Flip the underlay over so it’s right side up.
- Tell the child that you now need an object to polish but that you can polish somethings but not others.
- Walk around the classroom with the child, looking for metal objects.
- Offer the child two or three choices.
- Ask the child to bring the object to the table.
- Ask the child to watch.
- Place the metal polish bottle in the left corner of the underlay.
- Next to the bottle place the small metal dish.
- To the right of the dish place the cotton ball.
- Right of the cotton ball, place the orange stick.
- Next to the orange stick, place the buffing cloth.
- To the right of the bugging cloth, place the sponge.
- Hold the bottle with a subdominant pincer grip.
- Slowly open the polish bottle with a dominant pincer grip.
- Squeeze two drops of the polish into the bowl.
- Close the polish bottle.
- Pick up the cotton ball with your dominant hand.
- Hold the other side of the cotton ball with your subdominant hand.
- Slowly pull apart the cotton ball.
- Put the pieces of cotton down on the underlay.
- Pick up the orange stick with your subdominant hand.
- Carefully wrap a piece of cotton around the orange stick’s tip with your dominant hand.
- Rub the cotton tip in the metal polish dish.
- Show the child the cotton tip’s appearance with the polish.
- Slowly rub the cotton tip over the metal object.
- Once the desired areas of the object have had polish applied, set the orange stick down.
- Pick up the buffer cloth with your dominant hand.
- Unfold the buffer cloth in front of you.
- With your dominant hand, place your three innermost fingers facing upward on the cloth.
- Fold the left side over your fingers.
- Fold the right side over your fingers.
- Fold the top over your fingers.
- Place your thumb over the fold.
- With the buffer cloth, go over the area where you’ve applied the polish.
- As you polish the metal object, show the child how the black tarnish is accumulating on the cloth.
- Point out that there is now a nice shine.
- Ask the child to perform the exercise.
- Once he is done, show him how to clean up.
- Ask him if he remembers where the object goes.
- Ask him to place it back.
- Place the polish bottle back in the tray.
- Examine the bowl, clean out any remaining polish with cotton.
- Place the bowl back in the tray.
- Throw the cotton ball away and replace it with a new one in the tray.
- Place the orange stick back in the tray.
- Place the dirty buffer cloth in the laundry and replace it in the tray.
- Clean the underlay with the sponge, starting in the top corner, going from left to right.
- Place the sponge in the tray.
- Flip the underlay over.
- Slowly roll the underlay up.
- Place the metal ring around the underlay.
- Ask the child to carry back the tray.
- Ask the child to place the underlay to the left of the tray.
- Take off your aprons.
Exercise
Same as presentation.
Points of Interest
Finding something made of metal, getting just a little bit of polish, laying the materials in sequence, grim on the applicator cloth.
Purpose
Care of the environment through polishing metal, give a sense of order through a sequence of materials, independence, awareness of surroundings, motive for activity, coordination.
Age
3 to 4
Notes
Color coding is important so that materials don’t get mixed up with other activities.
Discuss what is made of metal and what is not.