I didn't expect to come up with an idea for a Leader whilst carrying out babysitting duties for my toddler granddaughter, but taking over from her father and about to switch off the TV, (since I'm not a fan of children’s TV when there’s so much else to discover and enjoy!) I noticed that the presenter was in a washroom which housed an Ophardt soap dispenser and Phs warm air hand dryer. Thinking that this was an unusual - and somewhat weird, choice of programme to use as a distraction strategy to stop the wriggles during nappy changing, I looked more closely and saw the BBC’S CBeebies logo. As the channel's aimed at children aged-6 and under, you might imagine why I became more puzzled! It turned out to be an educational piece about some of the things we use when we visit a washroom. Presenter Maddie, first visiting a factory to see how hand dryers work, showed how infrared light is used to switch on the dryer, while slow-motion filming showed water droplets blasted off her hands. Next, she talked viewers through the production process as she walked around a toilet tissue manufacturing factory.

 

  

Filmed in 2018, the piece lasted about 15 minutes and, I felt, was really interesting – not only for the aged-6 and unders but for their parents/carers too. In looking for the link to include here, I discovered that this isn’t the only piece involving our industry that’s been covered. Think ‘Toilet flush & toilets’, (how a flush works, why it gurgles, toilet manufacturing facility tour), ‘Bin lorry & newspaper’ (recycling, from how a bin lorry works externally and internally, recycling plant visit to see how rubbish is sorted, then on to a paper mill), ‘Handwash & vacuum’ (handwash manufacturing facility followed by appliance testing centre visits to see how a vacuum cleaner works), ‘Metal recycling centre & road sign’ (how metal’s recycled and reused, involving a scrapped vehicle recycling centre and road sign factory visit), ‘Window Cleaning Cradle’ (brave Maddie up in the cradle with the window cleaning team). 

  

I haven’t watched the other episodes but plan to, since I’m formulating ideas on how this type of content might not only help teach our little ones while they’re still highly impressionable, about the importance of cleaning, hygiene, waste disposal and the need to take great care of our environment, but perhaps - if aimed at older children and teenagers, encourage those still undecided about their careers, (and those between jobs!) to consider a role in this great industry which is crying out for good people. Inspired and full of ideas? Please do get in touch!