HS for teenager...

Cooking, herbs, gardening, sewing, flower arrangement, building, decorating, and more!

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ATL Mom
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HS for teenager...

Postby ATL Mom » Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:06 am

I will begin HS with my teenage niece after 9th grade finishes this year.

I want to incorporate Home Ec. I know I need to cover cooking, budgeting, and money management. I'm not adept at sewing, beyond repairing ripped seams and buttons.

What do I absolutely NEED to cover to prepare her for life on her own?

Also, any ideas for making the Home Ec portion of her education more fun and easier to blend in with her core curriculum would be helpful.
If you had it to do all over again, would you?

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Theodore
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Some other Home Ec topics include:

Postby Theodore » Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:06 pm

Depending on your definition of Home Ec, you might also want to look at:

Washing clothes
Ironing
Cleaning bathrooms
Cleaning in general
Care of babies (a whole subject of its own)

I come from a big family, so I've had plenty of practice myself in all the Home Ec subjects except sewing and ironing. I can still remember the good ol days of half diving into the washing machine so I could reach those clothes on the bottom :) And diaper pails were even more fun!

Honestly though, I don't think you're going to be able to fool your niece into thinking this stuff is fun. It's just work that someone has to do, in this case her. There is some joy involved in making a toilet sparkling clean, but not quite enough to outweigh having to scrub a dirty toilet :) She'll just have to grin and bear it.

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Postby Tabz » Fri Feb 24, 2006 11:58 am

grocery shopping, clothes shopping (all on a budget of course). Basic sewing isn't all that hard, but you might want to see if there's some kind of sewing group/quilting group in your area.

As for the fun part - if it was all fun, everyone would probably just know how to do it! Ha.

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Postby ATL Mom » Sat Feb 25, 2006 1:26 pm

Thank you. Luckily, she already does her own laundry. She also has chores that she has to do, including cleaning her bathroom once a week from top to bottom. She has been really good about not complaining.

I have a 1 yr old daughter and a baby due in May. I'm planning to let her help take care of the new baby so she will have that experience, as well.

I really appreciate all your input. For the younger two, they will be learning all this stuff as they get older.

My 11 yr old, who is not homeschooled, will be learning how to do his own laundry this summer. **Much to his dismay.**
If you had it to do all over again, would you?

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Postby Regina Hogsten » Sat Mar 04, 2006 12:50 pm

Don't sweat it too much. A little planned and accomplished is a whole lot more than too much planned, too much to do, and failure from the start.
There is nothing wrong with only knowing a few sewing skills. There are a lot of people who have never picked up a needle. Many are not interested in sewing clothes, curtains, bedspreads, etc. and that's ok. But, having a few basic skills is important. These skills will save money if you repair the items and don't have to pay to have fixed or buy new. Sewing on buttons, repairing a tear or seam, and hemming are simple to learn. (This is a necessary skill for short people as myself) By the way, learning home ec skills comes out of need. What if the oil needs to be changed in the car and no one else is available to do it? A friend is having an Asian theme party and wants you to bring a side dish (no carry-out), you want to put together a computer desk or hang shelves. Are you going to do without the desk or hire someone to use a screwdriver and some glue if you are able to take the time and patience to learn it yourself? (I am glad my boys like to put together these things.) Learn the basics and you'll feel a little more confident to learn more when necessary. I think taking the time to learn these things is probably the biggest hurdle.
Your niece needs to cover preparing and cooking meats, vegetables, nutrition and food safety. Begin cooking foods she enjoys eating like dessert. Start out having fun. One success leads to another.
Develop organizational skills. Begin with a daily/weekly planner. She should plan her time, daily events, chores, and goals. Go easy.
Learn how to take care of clothing: cleaning, ironing, and repairing.
Get a small notebook to jot down expenses and expentures and open a savings account.
These are a few BASICS. Send me an e-mail if you are interested in learning more and how.


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