News Blog

Nursery received a visit from Catherine Hammond, a local historian, to teach us about how the washing was done before the invention of electricity and washing machines.  Catherine brought in many historical artefacts for the children to look at and use when discussing the different processes involved in ‘wash day.’  Getting clothes clean was certainly a job for the strong!

So many questions were generated.  Where was water collected from?  What was used before the invention of washing powder.  How was a posser used to agitate the washing?  Why would a washboard be used?  How did the water get squeezed out of clothes?   What was used to hang out the washing before plastic pegs were made?  How did the iron get hot before there was electricity?  

The children enjoyed singing a wash day nursery rhyme as they undertook their various chores and compared life before smart washing machines, steam irons or air dryers. A photo of the day will be placed in the class memory box to support the emerging concept of ‘history.’