Each week, I set aside a couple of hours to intentionally teach the girls some aspect of homemaking.  While they learn from many tasks during the day, we all look forward to these times together that are especially fun.

Some “lessons” we’ve had include cooking, organizing, cleaning, table settings, menu planning, scrapbooking, and hospitality.  Perhaps someday I will learn to sew and teach them that as well!

So that I don’t forget to include these fun lessons, I will note on Coco’s weekly assignment sheet which day we are having one.  I usually take a short amount of time to prepare (even if only in my mind) and I always work it in with something we already have going on.

For instance, a couple weeks ago, we had friends coming over so I did a class on hospitality that day.  Last week, we had banana bread on our menu, so I planned for this recipe to be their project.  Then, I had the girls give two of their loaves away.   That was a simple class on preparing food gifts for others.

Every once in a while, I will share some of our ideas for these little classes, and I will post them in the HomeKeeping category.  Today, I want to share my basic, very loose outline.

First, I introduce our subject and talk about why it is important.  I usually have a verse that goes along with our subject.

Then, I brainstorm with the girls.  That is, I take the ideas they already have and add a few of my own.  Sometimes we are just chatting in the kitchen while we get ingredients out, like who we could give a food gift to, or sometimes we’re sitting at the table, writing ideas on the whiteboard.   I like this because we are all contributing ideas and the girls have lots of good ones!  I also get to see what they’ve already learned over the years just by living life in our home, and that can be encouraging as a mom. 

Next, we might do some research.  Of course we don’t call it research!  We look through books and magazines to find samples, ideas, and instructions and add them to Coco’s HomeKeeping book.  She often works on this on her own time because she enjoys it so much.  When Soleil gets older, I’ll have her keep one as well.

Finally, we put our skills to work.  The most fun, by far, is the hands-on application of what we’ve just learned.  We’ll cook, prepare a food basket, set a fancy table for dinner, go grocery shopping, or even clean their closet. 

Lastly, we clean up!  Following through with this step is important, and teaches responsibility.  It’s also fun and goes faster when we’re all helping, while of course lightening the load for me. 

All of these skills are things the girls will learn over time by being part of the family and household.   Yet, by deciding to NOT multitask for a couple hours each week and dedicating that time to enrich their homemaking skills, we not only learn and have fun, we grow closer and bond over these projects.

Isn’t that what keeping a happy home is all about?

Do you have any ideas or requests for ideas on a particular homekeeping subject?  Please share!