If you do teatime as a part of your school, could you tell me about it?

[melissel]

I'd like to start doing this on alternating Fridays, but wanted to see how others implement it first to get some ideas of how I'd like to start. Do you go so far as to have matching tea items, etc.?

 

TIA!

[m4given]

I'd like to start doing this on alternating Fridays, but wanted to see how others implement it first to get some ideas of how I'd like to start. Do you go so far as to have matching tea items, etc.?

 

TIA!

Tea Time is a favorite around here.

 

*We keep it quite simple.

*We don't match tea items most times.

*We vary what we do.

*We try to keep it enjoyable.

*We recite & read & discuss poetry from different resources.

 

How we do it:

*Outside ~ on the picnic table, on what we call our "play platform", on a blanket.

*With and without table cloths & cloth napkins.

*Inside at kitchen table or other tables in the house.

*With or without lantern, candles.

*Food - with and without food. Sometimes crackers or cookies.

*We do informal & more formal approaches.

*We do it without & with friends/relatives.

 

I choose poems & the children also choose poems. We keep a basket of poetry readings & I'll exchange what is kept in the basket.

 

Have fun with it!!!

Edited May 22, 2010 by m4given

[....]

Woooow... I have 3 daughters. This is a VERY good idea. :bigear: I never even thought to do something like this. My girls would go crazy for that. My son might be slightly irritated, though...:glare:

 

Maybe I could get him a camoflaged tea set and hang camo netting around our tea area so the enemy aircraft can't see us and destroy us. He could protect us while we do our poetry reading.

 

Seriously, I think we might try this! Good idea! :)

[Donna T.]

We aren't fancy, but we do use our best china with cloth napkins. We read poetry but we don't analyze it. We just enjoy it without alot of discussion. Sometimes I will read aloud from a book, we will sing a hymn or listen to classical music. My boys really love it.

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

My girls would go crazy for that. My son might be slightly irritated, though...:glare:

 

Maybe I could get him a camoflaged tea set and hang camo netting around our tea area so the enemy aircraft can't see us and destroy us. He could protect us while we do our poetry reading.

 

Well, I have two boys and a girl and we do daily "poet-teas" as we have started calling them. Put out some lovely snacks and keep a good mix of poetry. The boys will come. ;)

 

This is honestly my absolute favorite part of our homeschool day and it is just not a big deal to implement. Sometimes it's fancy (with tablecloth, scones, cloth napkins, classical music, etc.) and sometimes it's simple (papers pushed to the side on the table, maybe almonds and chocolate are served). DD5 has a growing tea set collection and I have three tea sets so we do use a matching service but this is just a delightful extra and not necessary.

 

Honestly, it is just so super simple. We sit down, pour tea, serve snacks, and I read. I always read our poem of the week first. Then I will read from a book or two of poetry. (I have close to a thousand, I think ;), including some wonderful ones for boys that are full of such creepy things that dd won't even be present for half of them. :D Let me know if you would like info on particular books. I do love to chat about poetry!) If the kids want me to read a certain poem or from a certain book, I do but they are just as happy to listen to me read whatever I select, even if they can't understand half of it because of metaphor and flowery, old-fashioned language. It reminds me of when I read to them as newborns. They didn't understand a word but they eagerly sat there and listened and absorbed it all. I do not shy away from poems that I know the kids won't fully understand (as long as they're age-appropriate). I do not explain them either, unless dc ask for meaning. We don't analyze.

 

I have been reading poetry to them along with story books from infancy. There is no big deal about it being poetry and they love it just like they love to listen to me read anything else. They pick poetry for bedtime stories as often as they pick anything else. If you're just starting out with poetry, you might have to lure reluctant listeners in with some simple or funny stuff. There are some great anthologies out there.

 

Honestly, this poet-tea time is the absolute best thing going in our homeschool. I highly recommend it!

[Kuovonne]

We do teatimes a la Bravewriter. I spread out a tablecloth and put some flowers on the table. We use nice dishes / cups but they don't have to match. We have a special drink and snack. It's really the sweet snack that entices my four year old. My older DD and I each find a book of poetry to bring to the table. As we eat, we take turns reading / reciting poems. We don't analyze the poems, we just enjoy them. I also require my two girls to be on their best behavior at teatime (e.g. no reaching across the table and tickling your sister until she snorts up lemonade).

[....]

Any good poetry recommendations for 7 year-old boys? :bigear:

[HeidiKC]

including some wonderful ones for boys that are full of such creepy things that dd won't even be present for half of them. :D Let me know if you would like info on particular books. I do love to chat about poetry!)

 

I would LOVE some suggestions for boys! I loved your whole post and how reading poetry is like reading to them when they are babies. They may not get it, but somehow they love it!

[HeidiKC]

This must be one of the surprising posts I've seen. Surprising to me, anyway! I thought - WHAT? Who is drinking tea and how do they do it???! After reading all the posts and how you do poetry with it, I LOVE it. I am actually drinking tea right at this moment!

 

Which brings me to my question (hope this isn't a hijack!): what kind of tea or what is in it? I just drink English breakfast tea with milk and sugar. My kids have never had tea of any sort and it's hard to imagine they'll like it. Do you tea with milk and sugar, herbal tea or what? What is popular with kids?

[JMDRAD]

Tea Time and poetry?? Wow, I've never thought of doing that. I have three very girly girls that would love this. (Which is ironic since I was the biggest tomboy ever. LOL) This sounds like a lot of fun!:D

[melissel]

Which brings me to my question (hope this isn't a hijack!): what kind of tea or what is in it? I just drink English breakfast tea with milk and sugar. My kids have never had tea of any sort and it's hard to imagine they'll like it. Do you tea with milk and sugar, herbal tea or what? What is popular with kids?

 

It doesn't necessarily have to be tea in the cups. Mine will probably drink weak iced tea or lemonade, for the summer at least. We're not huge tea drinkers here anyway. My goals are more the general manners practice and the inclusion of some poetry, classical music, and art into our days in a fun way. These are things that my girls moan about when I introduce them, but when we get rolling, they always end up enjoying what we learn and hear. This will be a way to get more of those things that we never seem to have time for!

 

ETA: I finally found the thread I was looking for on this. I thought I had asked the question before, but I must have just read the thread:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28374

Edited May 22, 2010 by melissel

[JeneralMom]

One of the best memories I have from childhood is when my brother and I would go visit my grandparents, and my g-ma would wake us up with a cuppa in pretty china cups and saucers with tea biscuits. She would sit on the bed and we would chat and plan our day. I can still taste the tea and biscuits. She has advanced dementia now and does not know who we are, but I hold on to these memories to get me through the sadness. My brother loved these times as well, so please do it with your boys. I am going to start having Friday tea-time.

 

Thank you for the idea and the trip down memory lane.

[littlebug42]

I would LOVE some suggestions for boys! I loved your whole post and how reading poetry is like reading to them when they are babies. They may not get it, but somehow they love it!

 

I have a great poetry book called The Treasury of Poetry for Children edited by Susie Gibbs. http://www.amazon.com/Treasury-Poetry-Children-Susie-Gibbs/dp/0760707545/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274544009&sr=8-2

 

It has sections in it called Wild and Free, Pets and Friends, Weird and Wonderful, Stuff and Nonsense, Heroes and Warriors etc. I think there are selections in there that would be good for young boys. My nephew has always loved "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe and another favorite of mine is "O Captain, My Captain" by Walt Whitman (But preread that one, it has some bloody war imagery that on second thought might not be so good for a 7 year old). My mom had a book when I was a kid called Best Loved Poems of the American People that she used to read to me and it has some great ones in it.

 

The tea time sounds like such a great idea. I may have to incorporate that some this summer. I bet my girls would love it.

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

Any good poetry recommendations for 7 year-old boys? :bigear:

 

Yes! I'm making and linking a list. I'll post that when it's finished.

 

I would LOVE some suggestions for boys! I loved your whole post and how reading poetry is like reading to them when they are babies. They may not get it, but somehow they love it!

 

Thanks. And that is exactly how I feel. Love for the mere sound of it is the first stage. :001_smile:

 

Which brings me to my question (hope this isn't a hijack!): what kind of tea or what is in it? I just drink English breakfast tea with milk and sugar. My kids have never had tea of any sort and it's hard to imagine they'll like it. Do you tea with milk and sugar, herbal tea or what? What is popular with kids?

 

My kids drink and love the Little Citizens Herb Tea from Republic of Tea. (Their favorite is strawberry vanilla). We sometimes have lemonade, milk tea (warm milk sweetened with honey and a dash of vanilla), hot chocolate, etc.

 

My goals are more the general manners practice and the inclusion of some poetry, classical music, and art into our days in a fun way.

 

Manners! Now there is a novel concept! I should work harder on that. I will say that the kids tend to use better manners when the teas are fancier. Maybe because I act a bit fancier with all the finery? :tongue_smilie: Hmmm. Must purposefully work on manners...

[momof2girls]

I've got 3 girls and this sounds fantastic. :iagree:

What a great way to practice good table manners.

 

Thanks!

 

K

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

I will start by saying that Favorite Poems Old and New selected by Helen Ferris is, hands-down, my gold standard for a children's poetry anthology. If my house burned down and I only had enough money to buy one poetry book, this would be it.

 

For kids new to poetry, keep in mind that so many of the rhyming picture books are basically a child's first introduction to poetry. If your kids aren't crazy for poetry, you can transition by reading these single poem per volume books to kids. Anything with a good candence will be a great for building a love of poetry. Some particular favorite picture books of my boys that work well for this are Oddhopper Opera and Hotel Deep but there are many, wonderful books out there that you've probably never thought of as poetry that would work toward this goal. We also particularly love John Lithgow books here (wonderful vocabulary in those!). You can find My Shadow and Block City, both by Robert Louis Stevenson, in picture book form. From Edward Lear, my kids love The Quangle Wangle's Hat, The Owl and the Pussycat, and Nonsense! (limericks rock!).

 

My boys particularly love... (these are somewhat in order of age)

 

Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever (great first Mother Goose for baby boys in particular)

 

The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders (or seriously, anything by Jack Prelutsky but this was our big favorite for years)

 

The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry (wonderful mix and great illustrations)

 

Here's a Little Poem (OK, the pics are kind of girly but all three of my dc love, love, love this book. It is my perfect baby shower book.)

 

Goops and How to Be Them: A Manual of Manners for Polite Infants (I'm not actually convinced this teaches my kids good manners, but it is hysterically funny. :tongue_smilie:)

 

My First Oxford Book of Poems (has a good mix, including some very attractive gems for boys)

 

My First Oxford Book of Nonsense Poems

 

Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face(This is my number one recommendation for poetry-averse, all-boy boys. I defy boys to not like the poems in this book! The illustrations are incredible and there is even a very funny cd that comes with the book.)

 

A Light in the Attic (and everything else by Shel Silverstein)

 

You can start with some of these to lure the boys into liking poetry and then branch out. I have almost an embarrassing number of poetry books in the house, so if anyone wants to know about a particular one or wants more recommendations, ask away.

[helena]

When I first started home schooling I made up tea journals for each of the girls. They would have to log in all sorts of information

name

green black or herbal

country of origin (map work)

brew time

water temp

observations of tea

review..

 

It was fun.

 

Now we drink tea together through out the week. It's usually an herbal like chamomile, candy cane, or mint. About once a month I'll let them have a cup of decaf english breakfast with cream and sugar. I also like to throw in an unusual one once in a while to encourage conversation and interest.

I serve it with various breads, halva, cookies, or fruit.

 

We read our chapter book, read or recite poetry, have cheerful or interesting conversation, and often finish by wandering around in the garden.

I expect top notch manners at tea time.

 

It leaves us refreshed.

Then the madness starts again!:tongue_smilie:

 

Forgot to add, I bought an electric kettle so the girls can make and set out the tea.

[shukriyya]

 

This is a wonderful compendium of poetry with things for all ages, boys, girls and adults. We read aloud from it, use it for memory work and copy work as well as just enjoy it as a silent read when we're feeling reflective.

[HerdingCats]

We use hot chocolate or lemonade or juice along with tea. My dd and I are the tea drinkers. We usually have some kind of treat snack to go with this. Sometimes we will do a special lunch if we have it at lunchtime. This past week we had crepes with a choice of fruit or peanut butter sauce. The poetry is read round table style with the boys usually choosing Shel Silverstein and I'll read from an assortment of various books. If we go too long without having one, they will complain!! I use a Japanese style tea set we bought at Target and light a scented candle with tablecloths and fan folded paper napkins (if I think of doing it).

[Mothersweets]

Wonderful idea! and terrific list, Kristina! We have several Jack Prelutsky books but I hadn't seen the Nose on Your Face one. Thanks :)

[cjbeach]

A la Dawn from BY Sun and Candlelight we have attempted to follow her lead and do the occasional Tea and Craft day on Thursdays. I'm a faithful reader of her blog and she has lovely ideas.

 

She did a fantastic post on THEMES for every month... beautiful ideas to incorporate each month.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

WOW! I love this idea! I had been trying to figure out how to incorporate poetry in a fun way and this sounds perfect.

[Hedgehogs4]

Any good poetry recommendations for 7 year-old boys? :bigear:

 

Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein (or anything of his, actually), I am Phoenix or Joyful Noise (poems for two voices). I can't recall the author at the moment, but we LOVE these books.

 

Jabberwocky. my son loves it and has memorized the whole poem.

[....]

Wow! Great idea and great lists for poetry books! I completely forgot about Shel Silverstein and The Jabberwocky. :lol:

[Guest]

T

Which brings me to my question (hope this isn't a hijack!): what kind of tea or what is in it? I just drink English breakfast tea with milk and sugar. My kids have never had tea of any sort and it's hard to imagine they'll like it. Do you tea with milk and sugar, herbal tea or what? What is popular with kids?

 

Here's a favorite of our family, combined with some cute sugar cubes.

 

I keep saying I want to start this...I just need to DO it. Maybe it will help that I am cutting other commitments at the moment...:glare:

 

ETA: Just ordered my tea....

Edited May 23, 2010 by Guest