Homeschool tea time is one of my favorite things to do with my kids. We don’t do it every week, but we have enjoyed it so much! Homeschool is like a little sub culture. There are commonalities between most families. We all have different reasons why we homeschool. We all have different beliefs, but there are still some common “traditions” that carry over amongst families. I didn’t know any of these traditions when I first started homeschooling, but I have picked up on things along the way. One of those traditions is Tea Time! Tea Time is something any family can do wether you homeschool or not, and it can be a special time with you and your kids!
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What is Tea Time?
Homeschool Tea Time can be a lot of different things. It can truly be whatever you want it to be, but the general consensus is that it is a time for you to enjoy a fun beverage and talk about something that interests you. But the beauty of tea time is that you can literally make it anything you want it to be. It doesn’t matter if you have boys or girls, if you read poetry or if you make it something fancy. This is just a fun activity your kids will look forward too. Plus, its really fun, and its something a good majority of homeschool parents partake in. Who doesn’t love a good tradition.
How does this work?
There are lots of ways to do this. When we first started doing this we were drinking tea and reading our read aloud books. We would sip tea and read until our tea got cold, or the kids lost interest. Now we read these books every day, with or without tea, but reading while sipping tea made up feel fancy, and made the story more fun. I am now reading my kids poetry when we do tea time. We read a few poems at a time, and then the girls will draw what they think the poem means while we sip tea and enjoy our snacks. But the best part is it can literally be anything you want. If you want to sip hot chocolate and talk about the weather that is fine. If you want drink tea while doing your curriculum, perfectly fine. If you don’t want to drink tea, that’s okay too! But it all boils down to a fun beverage with a fun activity. Something to break up the mundane.
Why do you do it?
When you spend every day with your kids, things can get a little boring. So to break up the routine we will add a little spice, in the form of something fun. When things get stale I will break out the tea time. I also love tea time because it can act as a reward in a lot of ways and help my kids work towards a fun activity to do together. For my girls it is also a lesson in responsibility. I try to bring out my 4th generation china for this.
Back story, my mom was gifted this china a long time ago (I think it was my great grandmothers). She brought it home and stored it for some future use. My dad was in the closet one day and stepped on the stack of boxes, breaking the majority of the china. There are only a handful of pieces left, and my mom has given them to me. They are beautiful and I love them, but I also know it is a very hodge podge set. There are only a few of each piece, lots of them have been glued back together and some are not even water tight, but they are old and special.
So I am teaching my kids a lesson in being graceful. Taking responsibility and awareness of their bodies, so they don’t break the cups we have left. But in honesty, this is low stakes. I don’t expect these cups to survive so if they end with my girls, they have lived a fun life. But the first time we ever had tea time we broke a cup. It was a great learning lesson for them. I explained how these cups had lived a long time, and how we needed to be careful. Now we set the table with care, we watch our elbows, and we enjoy our special cups.
We also enjoy special content. Poetry is such a neat concept and a true art. My girls don’t get to hear it often but this is a great way to share a new art form, and a new way to communicate ideas. It is also a great way to catch up. Before tea time starts we will bake a sweet treat, the girls will set the table, we will read and talk and share ideas. They get uninterrupted mommy time. Sometimes it’s a nice slow down for everyone involved.
How can I do this with my kids?
Homeschooling or not this is a great activity to do with your kids. You don’t have to have fancy things, a couple of mugs, and a kettle will do just fine! But set aside a time to have a true tea party. Here are some really fun ideas!
- Holiday Themed:
- Christmas: Hot Chocolate with all the toppings!
- Valentines Day: A Fun tea with a box of chocolates to share.
- Halloween: Butterfly pea tea (it changes color when you add lemon) like a magic potion.
- Variety of drinks:
- Tea is really fun! But adding flavors to the tea can be fun too! Grabbing some fun syrups might be fun!
- Hot Chocolate is always a hit! These color changing ones are really fun!
- You can do cold drinks too! Lemonade would be fun when its hot! Getting a muddler and mixing in fresh berries would make it really fun.
- Make some really fun treats! We have done muffins, cookies, little cakes you name it! But you can get really fancy and make scones or fresh croissants. Pull out all the stops and teach you kids how to make these things along the way. But in that same breath know they its totally okay to just buy something too! Or not having a treat at all.
When it comes to the activity or learning aspect of the tea time poetry and reading are really fun. But you could do anything or add anything to it. You can simply do your curriculum if that is easiest. A few books we have enjoyed!
- This book of poetry has been great for my kids. Its a really simple poem book, but there are lot of poems in there from major writers. Its a great well rounded book.
- We loved the Wild Robot! Seriously, as an adult it was a 5 star book. I loved it and we finished it in no time flat!
- You could also forgo a book all together and just do a podcast or audiobook! We love using our Yoto player for this. I’ve even made podcast cards for the Yoto for this purpose. But you all know how much I love our Yoto Player
But there you have it. A fun homeschool tradition. It’s more common than you think for families to be doing this, and even if you aren’t a homeschool family this would be really fun for your family to do. We love it so much and its such a special moment for us as a family. I hope its a memory the girls will remember for a long time.
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