Some of S's favorite activities are the simplest to put together. One such activity that is LOVED (yes, I had to use all caps since we do this at least once a week, if not more frequently) is what we call a "washing station". As you may have deduced, it involves washing things.





I'm not sure what it is about washing that is so captivating to young children, but it's such a favorite at our house. Sometimes S washes cars, or plasticware we've used in play...and sometimes her feet, or legs, or arms. Though more often than not, she washes this guy:









He is, at this point, the cleanest dinosaur you will ever meet.





To set up a washing station, you need some sort of container. Any will do - baking dish, plastic storage container, water table - you get the idea. If you have a toddler, you might want to consider setting up something like I outline in my Managing Messy Play post. A little bit of soap, a little bit of water, and something for scrubbing and you're ready to go!









I like to add an additional sensory component to our washing stations by giving S several different textured scrubbers. I bought all of these at the Dollar Store.









And there you have it! I cannot even begin to count the number of hours S has merrily played with this simple set up. Now if only I could find a way to keep that love of washing alive until she's old enough to do our dishes...



