Chicago Children’s Museum Little Village Laundromat

The Kleen-O-Matic Laundromat showcases how everyday activities can become playful learning experiences. With plenty of clothing items, sorting becomes a natural math activity. Components such as labeled sorting carts, bins for dark and light-colored items, and labeled tabletops that prompt categorization of items help families to see how everyday tasks can be rich learning opportunities.

The ubiquitous washing machine becomes a tool as well, with its differently-shaped parts highlighted by colored lines so that children can see how shapes make up the world around them. Each machine is numbered, and include visual counting sets, such as groups of dots, so that they become an opportunity to explore counting and number sense.

A simple chore like visiting a laundromat becomes an educational resource that helps caregivers infuse math language into everyday conversations.