PL T3.11Washing a Table
The child wipes a small table with a damp, lightly soaped sponge, then dries it with a cloth.
Safety
- Only water or a few drops of mild hand soap are used; tables that must be sanitized before meals are sanitized by the adult after the child's work, with children away from the table.
- The bowl holds about 2 cm of water and the adult stays with the child.
Where US guidance differs
Caring for Our Children and state licensing rules require tables used for eating to be cleaned and sanitized before meals. In Montessori practice, washing a table with water and a little soap is the child's own cleaning work. This work keeps the child's washing as real work, and the adult sanitizes eating tables afterward, with the children away from the table.
Presentation
- 1
Carry the tray to the table and set it at one side. Point to a mark on the table and say, 'Sticky. We wash it.'
- 2
Dip the sponge in the water, squeeze it until it stops dripping, and rub it once on the soap.
- 3
Wipe the table in slow circles from one side to the other. Watching the mark disappear is the point of interest.
- 4
Hand the child the sponge and wait while they wash.
- 5
Dry the table with the cloth, then hand the cloth to the child to finish. Put the sponge on the tray, the cloth in the laundry basket, and empty the bowl in the sink together.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Wash the eating table after snack
- Wash a chair or a wooden tray
- Scrub with a small brush before wiping
- Wash an outdoor table
Control of error
A mark left on the table is visible; soap left behind feels slippery and shows bubbles; a wet patch shows where the table was not dried.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Squeezes the sponge before washing
- Washes the whole table surface
- Dries the table and puts the cloth in the laundry