Last summer I did a car wash for all of the Hot Wheels (read post here: http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-car-wash-for-kids.html), this year I did a toy wash. Okay, so it wasn't quite that simple. It's nearing the end of summer and the outside toys have gotten A LOT of use this summer. They're dirty, grassy, and buggy (ants even made a home inside one riding toy that had to be thrown out after numerous unsuccessful attempts at removing them). The past few weeks the kids have been asking me to clean them.....like I have time for that!
That's when I came up with the brilliant idea of a kind of car wash for the outdoor toys. This idea worked marvelously: it kept the kids entertained all day (with the exception of naps), cleaned the toys, and made everyone happy. That's my kind of activity!
I also filled up the water table with smaller outside toys (such as the outdoor Hot Wheels, sand shovels, plastic golf balls, etc.) to be cleaned by toothbrushes. I had to stand watch to make sure no one tried to use a dirty toothbrush on their teeth!
Some kids used rags, others used sponges, and one little girl (I claim her as mine) used her hands to clean the dirty toys.......and then had a meltdown because her hands were dirty.
Max was the official "hose sprayer" to clean off the soap on the toys. Harrison got his hose spraying revoked when he decided to spray everyone in the backyard instead of the toys.
The outdoor toys suddenly look brand new and the kids are no longer asking me to clean the toys. Totally winning!