Meredith Ludwig Curtis
  • Home
  • Jesus
    • Bible Studies >
      • God's Girls Friends to the End Bible Study
      • God's Girls Beauty Secrets
      • God's Girls Talk about Guys, Virtue, & Marriage Bible Study
      • The Making of Real Men
      • Real Men Talk about Freedom, GIrls, & Marriage
    • Worship
    • Testimony >
      • Family
      • Church Family
  • Books
    • Maggie King Mysteries
    • How -To-Homeschool
    • Teach History the Fun Way >
      • Ancient History Cookbook
      • Ancient History Timeline
      • HIS Story of the 20th Century
      • Let's Have Our Own Ancient Greek Olympic Games
      • Let's Have Our Own Archaeological Dig
      • Let's Have Our Own Medieval Banquet
    • Celebrate
  • Courses/ Units
    • Unit Studies
    • High School Courses >
      • Who Dun It
      • American Literature & Research Course by Meredith Curtis
      • Economics, Finances, & Business Course
      • Economics, Finances, & Business Answer Key by Meredith Curtis
  • Speaking
    • Speaking Schedule
    • Family & Ministry Workshops
    • Homeschool Workshops
    • Homeschool High School Workshops
    • Meredith's Financial Workshops
    • Worship Workshops
    • Pastor Mike"s Workshops
    • Family & Friend's Workshops
  • Blog

Christmas Homemaking Class & Credit for Teens

12/6/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
Christmas is a great time to learn new homemaking skills! So many life skills come into play at Christmas from budgeting to sewing, from interior decorating to baking. Why not make Christmas preparation a homemaking class this year with the goal to teach your teens how to "Do Christmas."

One of the great joys of being a mother/homemaker is preparing holiday dinners and carrying out the family traditions. A dad has a big role in Christmas festivities too. A great tradition for a family to have would be a special craft or dish or baked good that Dad makes with the children (without burning the house down!). You could teach your son the skills he needs to someday be that dad!

Make a list of the family events, traditions, and activities that you already do each year. The list might look something like this (I have added "subject/assignment categories" next to each activity):

  • Christmas caroling (music/homemaking)
  • Church Christmas pageant (drama/arts)
  • Christmas cards/family letter (writing)
  • Cookie Baking (homemaking)
  • Candy Making (homemaking)
  • Making Gifts/Baking (homemaking)
  • Making Gifts/Crafts/Sewing (homemaking/art)
  • Christmas Shopping/Gift Wrapping (homemaking)
  • Planning menus for holiday meals/parties (homemaking)
  • Grocery shopping for meals/parties (homemaking)
  • Decorating Inside/Outside (homemaking/interior decorating)
  • Cleaning for holidays and company (homemaking)
  • Preparation for out-of-town Company (homemaking/life skills)
  • Family Devotions (Bible)
  • Hospitality (Character/homemaking)
  • Making & Sticking to a Budget for the Holidays (homemaking/life skills)
  • Scheduling to Fit in all Family & Church Events (homemaking/life skills)


Picture
Now, go over this list with your child and explain that he/she will be managing Christmas this year for school credit. You will be helping them each step of the way, but with the goal of teaching them to "do Christmas." Is there anything else your teen would enjoy doing over the holidays for school. Here are some additional Christmas activity suggestions:

  • Make a Family Christmas Carol Book with all the favorite Christmas songs with guitar chords (music)
  • Make a Family Christmas Cookbook with all the family favorites (writing/homemaking)
  • Take lots of pictures and make a Christmas slide show or Memory album (art/computer)
  • Make a list of new recipes and traditions to consider trying...try at least one or two! (research)
  • Interview older people to discover their favorite Christmas memories (oral communication)
  • Read Christmas stories aloud to younger children (life skills/literature)
  • Write a Christmas poem or song (writing)
  • Write a Christmas story (writing)
  • Write an essay on the true meaning of Christmas (writing)
  • Write Family Devotions (writing/Bible)
  • Make up a Christmas recipe (homemaking)
  • Write a Christmas play or skit and perform it (writing/drama)
  • Make a Christmas movie (art/drama)
  • Videotape all Christmas family events and put together a family movie (art/drama)
  • Plan an outreach to the poor for your family and do it together (Bible/life skills)
  • Look up traditions from other countries (research)
  • Talk to other families and discover their family traditions (research)
  • Plan some Christmas field trips (life skills)

Picture
Check out these sites with your teens: Annie's Christmas Index Page and All About Jesus Christmas Celebration. Maybe after checking them out, your teen will want to make his/her own Christmas website!

Annie's Christmas pages are chock full of information that is Christ-centered. Every page is lovely to look at and nourishing for the soul. Learn about Advent, the history of Christmas, traditions, music, television specials, gifts, and gingerbread. There is more information than you will know what to do with. I love this site!

All About Jesus Celebration is filled with stories, crafts, activities, recipes, gift ideas, and all kinds of fun stuff to keep the focus on Jesus during your holiday celebration. The Gospel message is presented and Advent devotions are available for the family to use.

Celebrate Christmas with a Traveling Dinner shares our Christmas tradition of going on a traveling dinner Christmas Eve. We have enjoyed that tradition with another family since 2000. 

The most important thing to keep in mind is to allow your teen to make adaptations and try new things so that he/she have ownership in the Christmas celebrations. New festivities can make for happy memories later on. Keep family traditions intact, but be flexible. Let your teen come up with ideas, try them out, and evaluate them for possible use in the future. And, remember, you may have to relax your standards a little. All in all, this can be a fun month for mom and teen!

Don't forget to log tasks, reading, research, and teaching time. Document everything to use as class credit! And be sure to take lots of photos! Maybe next year, your teens can do all the Christmas preparations and you can just sit back and grade them!

I have created two different high school elective courses that use Christmas as life skill and homemaking training. God's Girls 105: Homemaking and God's Girls 106: Friendship, Hospitality, & Celebrations. My teens loved them! 

Merry Christmas!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Meredith Curtis, homeschooling mom & worship leader, is married to her college sweetheart. She is blessed with 5 amazing children, 3 adorable grandchildren, and an awesome church family!
    ​

    Picture

    Archives

    August 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    April 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011

    Categories

    All
    Abiding
    Baking
    Beauty
    Bible
    Bible Study
    Birthdays
    Book Reviews
    Books
    Business
    Celebrate
    Charity
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Christmas Craft
    Christmas Homeschooling
    Church History
    College Prep
    Cooking
    Crafts
    Curriculum Reviews
    Devotions
    Doctrine
    Easter
    Economics
    Exercise
    Family
    Father's Day
    Field Trips
    Finances
    Finish Well
    Food
    Friendship
    Geography
    Gift Ideas
    Government
    Great Commission
    Health
    Heroes
    History
    Holiday Craft
    Holidays
    Home
    Homemaking
    Homeschool Conference
    Homeschooling
    Homeschooling Book Reviews
    Homeschooling Conference
    Homeschooling Curriculum
    Homeschooling Curriculum Reviews
    Homeschooling High School
    Homeschooling High School Reviews
    Homeschooling Reviews
    Hospitality
    Humor
    Lapbooks
    Learning
    Literature
    Living Books
    Logic
    Marriage
    Math
    Mentoring
    Ministry
    Money
    Motherhood
    Mothering
    Mothers Day
    Music
    New Years
    Nutrition
    Parenting
    Politics
    Prayer
    Reading
    Recipes
    Reformation Day
    Relationships
    Reviews
    Sales
    Science
    Sound Doctrine
    Spiritual Warfare
    Teaching
    Teens
    Testimony
    Thanksgiving
    Theology
    Time Management
    Traditions
    Traditions Devotions
    Travel
    Trials
    Unit Studies
    Wedding
    Worldviews
    Worship
    Worship Leading
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Anders Ruff Custom Designs, Sugar Daze, scrink, trekkyandy, H.C. Williams, whitneyinchicago, Elin B, Dottie Mae, Tony A., t i b i, the.laus, the.Firebottle, SebastianDooris, robinsan, wwarby, jimmiehomeschoolmom, Dougtone, williamcho, Randy OHC, littlemoresunshine, Alex E. Proimos, matsuyuki, ChR!s H@rR!0t, AMagill, Teddy Delivery, abcdz2000, UF Digital Collections, ElvertBarnes, auntjojo, BdwayDiva1, swanksalot, missycaulk, Lance Shields, Walter Saporiti, ComputerHotline, Sam Howzit, LeonArts.at, garlandcannon, midiman, kmezon, mickbarry, Official U.S. Navy Imagery, DC Central Kitchen, stu_spivack, aussiegall, saebaryo, Fairy Heart ♥, Damian Cugley, Vince Alongi, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, momentcaptured1, epSos.de, davedehetre, 96dpi, geraldbrazell, bterrycompton, Lauren Manning, THE Holy Hand Grenade!, eser.karadag, archer10 (Dennis), Catholic Westminster, SmithGreg, flypig, jelene, rust.bucket, Robert Scoble, Sterling College, SharonaGott, timparkinson, Fire At Will [Photography], KitAy, mareeshastar, Dougtone, Ed Yourdon, California Cthulhu (Will Hart), John-Morgan, Monica's Dad, ktylerconk, doegox, Khairil Zhafri, floodllama, mattjlc, bunnicula, smithfischer, Ahmed Rabea, The Consumerist, blmurch, Sh4rp_i, dwstucke, dtcchc, arjin j, damian m, Panegyrics of Granovetter, ewan traveler, young shanahan, Rennett Stowe, singingwitness, ronnie44052, Tim Green aka atoach, russell pix, missbrendatoyou, Ambernectar 13, LancerE, riptheskull, rs-foto, Max Braun, Yoshimai, dbgg1979, TheSeafarer, Old Sarge, Ewan-M, rictulio, Gwydion M. Williams, quinn.anya, abbybatchelder, katmeresin, Mr. T in DC, tuchodi, SLV's, mealmakeovermoms, Hollingsworth, hoyasmeg, Monica's Dad, Shane's Stuff, frotzed2, Matthew Juzenas, bunkejer4, weeklydig, St.John'sFlowerGuild, InAweofGod'sCreation, Doc Wert, Nomadic Lass, Samdogs, Rojer, MASB Desenvolvimento Imobiliário, Calsidyrose, wallygrom, Tiberiu Ana, ZeroOne, Randy OHC, Betsssssy, georgiapeachez, Lars Plougmann, dtcchc, antwerpenR, Wiros, myfuture.com, ewan traveler, cliff1066™, Peggy2012CREATIVELENZ, 401K 2012, mikemol, Aranami, Randy OHC, Joan Lesan, jm3, Stifts- och landsbiblioteket i Skara, Lunatic Asylum Photostudio, Michael 1952, Zyllan, Images_of_Money, striatic, riptheskull, sanchom, Nick Harris1, S. Reachers, Matt McGee, fdecomite, Wesley Fryer, yenna, Daniel Dale, michael_swan, Rodrigo_Soldon, Barefoot In Florida, Bright Meadow, turtlemom4bacon, Svadilfari, Rennett Stowe, juliejordanscott, Emilio del Prado, Marysol*, avlxyz, Näystin, Belzie, cliff1066™, EraPhernalia Vintage . . . (playin' hook-y ;o), Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, Etereal9, loco's photos, BigSéance, bigal_60714