Polishing is a very satisfying activity for young children and for adults as well. I allow the kids to work on the polishing tray once they are of the age to follow directions well and use the polish correctly. It is not a tray that I would use with a toddler but a very mature preschooler could do the work well.
Christopher is very fond of shiny things and has taken a liking to this work. I have picked up a number of sterling silver items at yard sales or thrift stores for him to polish which can later be used in our learning room. He has polished up some of our pitchers for pouring exercises and several of our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd materials.
The tray consists of a small glass jar of liquid silver polish, a couple of q-tips and the item to be polished. He has enjoyed dipping the q-tip into the polish and seeing the immediate results of his work. After it is shiny, the item needs only to be rinsed under warm water and dried.
Here he is polishing the item we use as a ciborium with our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Materials.
I think there is something wonderful about taking a dirty, tarnished item and making it beautiful and clean.
