Wherever you have snow falling in
winter and there are schools in the area, there will undoubtedly be
snow days. For a child, it can be oh, so exciting. It may mean
watching TV, playing games, and taking extended naps. For the older
student, say high school age, it may be a welcome relief. This snow may mean one extra day to work on a project or study for a test.
For parents, it may be a question as to how to keep the kids
occupied. There may be some point in the day where the kids may say
those dreaded words, “I'm bored.” or “There's nothing to do.”
Assuming you can stay home because the
weather is so bad that you cannot get to work either (or give this idea to the children's caregiver if you have to get to work) and also knowing
how important education is, try this idea. Have the kids plan a tea
party. Now not all kids like tea, but you can use hot chocolate, hot
cider, or cold apple juice. Build your idea up around this idea of a
tea party..or a feast if you will. Along the way, they will be
keeping their reading, math, science, and artistic skills sharp.
First plan what you will want to eat.
Have the kids pour through cookbooks and read different recipes that
look interesting. Check to see what supplies you have for cooking
and baking as this could limit what you can make. Remember, you don't
want to go out in bad weather, just to get a pack of nuts. It's a
bad weather day, so stay home and make the most of it. Then make a
list of what you want to make. If your list is really long, take
some time to whittle it down, unless you really want to prepare the
really long list of foods. If you are actually serving tea, think about what teas you would go well with the foods being prepared. Black teas are always good. Try Up North! or English Breakfast. If you are looking for a caffeine free infusion, try Northland Blueberry, as it has a nice fruity flavor. Another task that can be done is to
have one of the kids use their artistic skills and come up with a way
to dress the table for tea.
Now gather supplies for the recipes.
Have the kids read the recipe several times before they start so as
to have an idea as to what they will be expected to do. This part of
the tea day can count as their reading hour that they would have had
in school, as did pouring through the cookbooks and reading the
recipes there.
Follow the recipes and prepare the
foods. This is will be the math class of the day. You've got to
love all of the fractions and all of the different measurements.
Plus, as an added bonus, you might have to double or triple the
recipe, depending upon how many you will be serving. This means that
the kids get to multiply! Yippee! Oh, and multiplying fractions,
too. You have to love this!
The science portion of the day comes
into practice if you make things with yeast, like breads. You can
explain how the yeast makes the dough rise. If you yourself are not
sure why this is, have the kids google it on the computer. Another
goodie is making a souffle'. Again a science lesson on why it rises
so much and also why you should not let the over door slam shut or
any other door for that matter when the souffle' is in the oven.
Now maybe you don't have any
cookbooks. Have the kids come up with ideas at to things they would
like to cook. Have them use their imagination. Be sure to have them
think though flavors that are compatible with one another. I
wouldn't recommend putting mint in a bacon and tomato scone. If they
are using their imagination to create, be sure that they explain
everything to you that they intend to do. By doing this, they will
be practicing their communication skills. Of course when all of the
preparation work has been done, it's good to have them clean up as
well...that's part of the job.
Finally, when all is said and done,
sit down and enjoy the tea that the kids have prepared. Chances are
they will like it since they prepared it. If you like, you can also
educate them on using proper table etiquette. Take pictures of their
creations and of them with their smiling faces. Capture this
important moment in time.
You can even talk about where tea is
grown or research the cultures that grow, harvest, and process the
tea. (Social Studies)
If there is still time, you can have
them write about their tea party experience (creative writing) and
draw sketch pictures (more art) to go with it as well.
So you see, you can still unofficially
have school at home even on a snow/ice day. The kids can cover:
Reading, Math, Writing, Handwriting/Printing, Science, Art, Computer
skills (if they need to google something), and Social Studies.
Education is always important.
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