Doing Laundry
In just a few weeks your son/daughter will be living on their own at Thames Academy and learning how to use our 2 washers and dryers which are located in the first floor kitchen. Thames Academy hosts programs and evening workshops in September that show students how to use their laundry card to pay for a wash/dry, how to load the washers and how long each load will take. This is the easy part!
The more difficult task is when students arrive at Thames Academy not understanding what laundry detergent is or why they need to wash their clothes AND sheets once a week. This is where you, the parents, come in!
Over the summer we hope that you will take some time to help your son/daughter learn how to do their laundry independently. This means showing or modeling the process the first time then asking them to show you (and do it on their own) each subsequent time. We don't expect that your child will be able to do it perfectly! But the more you repeat how important it is to wash clothes and sheets every week, the more likely they will be to remember your advice this fall. Wearing clean clothes will help your student, their roommate(s), and everyone in the building have a more pleasant experience this year.
We have about 6 weeks left until move-in day - that sounds like 6 opportunities for your child to practice doing their laundry!
Some helpful tips to tech your son/daughter are:
-Practice writing a note/sign/calendar that chooses the day of the week to do laundry
-Why they should wash clothes and sheets every week
-To put dirty clothes in a hamper will make gathering laundry easier
-The difference between laundry detergent and dryer sheets
-Explain that in college they will need a laundry card to pay for their wash/dry
-How long a typical wash/dry takes
-Explain if all of their clothes should/should not be washed in the same temperature
-Explain if clothes should.should not be sorted by color before washing
-How to fold clothes after they are dry
