It’s Thanksgiving week in the U.S. If you did the Thanksgiving challenge, you’re all set to use the time to teach kids how to cook. Yes, you can count it as home ec! I remember cooking for Thanksgiving with my mom and I know my kids will remember it, too. It’s a time for making memories and delicious food, too! Here are the easy steps to take this week.
#1 Find books or videos that teach cooking
I’ll be sharing some great kid cooking pins on the Organized Homeschool board. Be sure to check them out!
There are many kids’ cookbooks out there, but this is the one I’m buying for my daughter for Christmas. It gets good reviews from most, so we’ll see!
There are plenty of kid cooking videos on YouTube, but you might enjoy teaching the kids how to bake a turkey. Although I don’t use this exact approach, it’s a pretty good basic video.
#2 Involve kids in table setting and cooking
I like to keep Thanksgiving as low stress as possible, so I do much of my cooking and table setting the day before. Teach the kids how to help and they will be even more excited about the meal. If you aren’t eating at home, you can still have your child help prepare a dish or two to take with you.
My favorite thing to have my children help with (the same thing I did as a child) is tear the bread for my mom’s stuffing recipe. But now that my kids are older, they like to help with just about everything. If your children are quite young, I promise you there will soon be a day when they can be a big help.
#3 Thanksgiving
Enjoy the holiday! I am so thankful for my readers. There are few bigger blessings for bloggers than to have people read what they write. Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and sharing.
#4 Put Thanksgiving items away
Put all the special dishes and decorations away (unless you’re celebrating late) and you’ll be ready to decorate for Christmas whenever you choose. The day after Thanksgiving is our decorating day. It’s such a blessing to have the children help decorate. If you’re decorating this week, ask the children where things should go. You’ll be testing their memories, their decorating skills, or both!
How do you get your children involved in Thanksgiving preparations?
Follow Dr. Melanie Wilson @psychowith6’s board Organized Homeschool on Pinterest.
Here is the November printable Organized Homeschool calendar and a list of previous challenges:
Organized Homeschool Challenge
Week 1: Daily Devotions Challenge
Week 2: Daily Routine Challenge
Week 4: Memory Keeping Challenge
Week 5: The Decluttering Challenge
Week 6: The Organized Computer Challenge
Week 7: The Marriage of Your Dreams Challenge
Week 8: The Confident Parent Challenge
Week 9: The Extended Family Challenge
Week 10: The Bring on the Spring Challenge
Week 11: The Spring Cleaning Challenge
Week 12: The Organized Easter Challenge
Week 13: The Serve the Church Challenge
Week 15: The Organize Your Finances Challenge
Week 16: The Curriculum Challenge
Week 17: The Friendship Challenge
Week 18: The Family Celebrations Challenge
Week 19: The Organized Clothing Challenge
Week 20: The Organized Vacation Challenge
Week 21: The Organized Summer Challenge
Week 22: The Outdoor Activity Challenge
Week 23: The Used Curriculum Challenge
Week 24: The Homeschool Space Challenge
Week 25: The Goal Setting Challenge
Week 26: The Homeschool Planning Challenge
Week 27: The Bible Time Challenge
Week 28: The Special Study Prep Challenge
Week 29: The Extra-Curricular Challenge
Week 30: The Core Curriculum Prep Challenge
Week 31: The Elective Curriculum Challenge
Week 32: The Back to School Challenge
Week 33: The Fall Bucket List Challenge
Week 34: The Organized Bedroom Challenge
Week 35: The Clean Out the Pantry Challenge
Week 36: The Meal Planning Challenge
Week 37: The Grocery Shopping Challenge
Week 38: The Organized Kitchen Challenge
Week 39: The Freezer Cooking Challenge
Week 40: The Hospitality Challenge
Week 41: The Blog or Business Challenge
Week 43: The Charity Challenge
Week 44: The Thanksgiving Challenge
Week 45: The Christmas Plan Challenge
Week 46: The Christmas Decorating Challenge
Week 47: The Christmas Shopping Challenge
Our kids help us with the place settings and tidying up aftewards. I’m sure their responsibility will grow as they age, but right now that’s a good fit, haha.
Loren, that’s a great beginning. You’ll be amazed how quickly they can do more. Hope you had a blessed holiday.