1. Polishing involves ordering and sequencing.
2. It helps the child to connect to and care for the Atrium environment.
3. Polishing provides an excellent opportunity for growth in focus and concentration through meaningful, repetitive work of the hand.
4. This work also allows for small motor refinement and, as the child grows, attention to detail.
In the above photo a child is using the metal polishing work. She has laid out the table mat / oil cloth and has arranged her supplies left to right just as they were on the tray: polish, a dish with the applicator (half of a cotton swab), a dish with the buffing cloth / finger mitt (a flannel square sometimes folded over and sewn into a rectangular shape into which a child can place just two fingers), and a dish with a sponge. Next, she has gone out into the Atrium environment to find something made of metal and brought that to her work. After opening the polish she has used the applicator to put polish onto the metal item and is now using the buffing cloth on the item with circular motions, shining the object and removing tarnish. Soon she will restore the item to the shelf, use the sponge to clean up any spills on her table mat, and then carefully restore the items to their tray and to the shelf. The used buffing cloth will go in the laundry basket and the applicator will go into the garbage. She will then finish restoring her work by placing a new applicator and a new buffing cloth on the tray so it is ready for the next child.
Does this activity get messy? Perhaps it does at times...and then that can be a point of interest brought up by the adult to the child. "I noticed that the table mat for your work has polish on it. Before you restore this work could you please make sure you have cleaned up any spills?" (The sponge will only work for the child if has been damped already, something the adult does when entering the Atrium as part of preparing the space for the children.) Does the item that has been polished get messy? Yes, at times. This is because the work of the L1 child is primarily about process and not product. An adult polishes something so that it gets clean and shiny. A young child polishes it in order to polish! Every few months I like to soak my metal items in vinegar and wipe them off in order to remove caked polish...but I don't think the children notice the difference! They are just grateful to have a way of caring for their environment through a work of the hand that allows them to focus and concentrate through repetition. Please consider giving your children this opportunity!!