I keep seeing posts from people saying they need to bring back Home Economics in our schools. I see and understand the need for these classes. Right now, parents have become the teachers for the rest of this school year, and we have a unique opportunity to do just that.
When I took Home Economics in school, we were taught how to cook, bake, and clean up as we went along. I was also always in the kitchen with my grandmother helping her cook and learning. Those are some of my most cherished memories. Now is a perfect time for parents that are homeschooling through the rest of the school year to introduce cooking as part of the curriculum. There seem to always be family recipes that are handed down through the generations, get them out, and start cooking and baking with your children. Create a valuable memory to go along with that family recipe and share your memories with them.
Home Economics also taught some basic sewing. I learned how to follow a pattern, cut the material, and stitch it together to make a finished product.
Sewing is a lost art with the newer generations. We live in a society of buy cheap and toss when ripped or damaged. Imagine what effect it would have on the ecosystem if we raised young people to repair or re-purpose damaged garments.
For those of you that know how to sew, start teaching your children how to do it and the value behind it. For those of you that don't know how to sew, find an instruction video, and learn with them. Create those life long memories.
There are so many valuable lessons that we learn in a Home Economics class that can be taught right in the home.
Teach your children to budget and save money. Help them find a goal to save toward. Teach them about earning money and spending it wisely. Teach them about paying bills. These are real-life skills they will need to survive and thrive.
Let them help you plan the meals, make a shopping list, and shop for the weekly groceries. Food is a necessity and something we budget for every month. Now is the time to start teaching them how to plan meals for the week, make a shopping list, look through the weekly sales papers to find the best deal, and shop within a budget. This is the time that they can learn that homemade tacos are 10 times better than going for the fast-food version and much more economical.
I bet you're obsessively cleaning right now, aren't you? Why not get them in on the action and teach them the importance of a clean home? I know many with young children that want to help clean, but we often don't let them help because they aren't great at doing a thorough job of it. Let them help. This is a learning experience. The more they help, the better they will get at it. Besides, get help now because when they are teenagers, it will be like pulling teeth. This is an opportunity to teach them how to make it fun and hopefully instill it in them so it's not so hard when they are teens.
Some of my best memories are the times spent with my parents and grandparents learning these essential life skills. Family recipes and traditions are meant to be passed to the next generation. Creating a special memory to go along with these will be cherished long after we are gone. I'm sure with each tradition or recipe that was passed to you, there was also stories of the memories from the generations before us. My love for crafting also came from my parents and grandparents. I cherish the gift I've been given to create or re-purpose something old into something new. We have been given a gift right now from this pandemic, it is the gift of time with our children that we usually don't have because work and life, in general, keep us too busy. Make the most of it while you have it. I challenge you to make something with your children this week, you'll find the memory of the time spent with you will outlast the creation.