Holiday Hospitality Homeschool Unit Study

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Finish Well Homeschool Podcast, Podcast #199, Holiday Hospitality Homeschool Unit Study, with Meredith Curtis on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network

Holiday Hospitality Homeschool Unit Study

In “Holiday Hospitality Homeschool Unit Study,” episode #199, Meredith Curtis helps you combine holiday hospitality and homeschooling in a fun way! Here is a FREE easy unit study right in the podcast with Scriptures, read aloud ideas, and practical activities each day to get ready for company and learn life skills at the same time! Turn welcoming people into your home into a family project and festive way to pass on values, character, and life skills.

 

 

 

 


 

 

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Show Notes

It’s that time of year where relatives gather. Are they heading to your house this year? Don’t panic – use school time to get ready while you build memories with your kids.

Working Together as a Family:

Tips for peaceful and efficient working together.

Day 1 – Prepare the House

Scripture: I Peter 4:8-9. Discuss show love and hospitality are related.

Talk about Cleaning Basics & Clean the House

  • Straighten/Tidy
  • Dust & Vacuum
  • Clean Bathrooms
  • Mop Floors
  • Change Sheets
  • Prepare Guest Room

Lunch & Read Aloud.

Decorate the House for Holiday.

Day 2 – Shop/Make Gifts & Stocking Stuffers

Scripture: Romans 12:12-20. Discuss how to live these principles out with your guests.

Talk about Gifts & Budgets, Make a List and Shop for Gifts in store or online.

Lunch and Read Aloud.

Wrap Gifts.

Day 3 – Plan Menu/Shop

Scripture: Matthew 25:34-46. How is showing hospitality to your guests serving Jesus?

Make menus for days guests’ visit including snacks to have on hand. Then create a shopping list together.

Lunch and read aloud.

Shop. Tips to Shop as a team.

Day 4 – Prepare/Freeze the Food

Scripture: Genesis 18:1-15. How do Abraham and Sarah show hospitality to their visitors? How can you imitate their example?

Many things can be made and frozen. Spend the day cooking with a break for lunch and read aloud.

Day 5 – Plan the Fun

Scripture: Luke 14:12-17. How can you include the lonely and needy in this holiday’s activities?

Brainstorm ideas for holiday fun in your hometown and fun things to do at home. Make a tentative/flexible plan (important for certain family members to know that it’s flexible).

Lunch and read aloud.

Finishing touches.

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Resources

Celebrate holidays with these festive, fun books and unit studies:

Celebrate Christmas with Cookies Unit Study by Meredith Curtis Celebrate Christmas in Germany Unit Study by Meredith Curtis Celebrate Christmas in Colonial America by Meredith Curtis
Celebrate Thanksgiving by Meredith Curtis Celebrate Easter Devotions Celebrate Our Christian Super Heroes by Meredith Curtis and Laura Nolette at Powerline Productions, Inc. Christmas Thoughts and Prayers Journal by Meredith Curtis

 

 


Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!

Holiday Replay | Genuine Hospitality

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

genuine hospitality

As many of you know, I am getting ready to host some lovely women in my home next weekend. My goal is for these ladies to feel at home from the moment they drive up. A recent FB post in our THGP- Playing Skillfully in Action group got me thinking about genuine hospitality. What makes a good hostess? I thought I would share some of the things I do to make our home a welcoming place to others.

 

  1. Know your guests. Do they have any food/environmental allergies? Do they feel anxious about traveling? Do they have trouble climbing stairs?
  2. Prepare the space (fresh sheets, water by the bed, flowers, and travel-size toiletries).
  3. Have snacks easily accessible. Most people don’t feel comfortable asking for a snack

    **Funny story about my snack basket pictured above. Recently, a friend’s son asked his mom why I was so mean. When asked for an explanation, he said only a mean mom would make their kids pay for snacks. I guess he didn’t get my joke. ☺

  4. Have a fan/diffuser in the room.
  5. If your guests stay in a kid’s room, make sure the bed/nightstand is cleared of the stuff that can be collected in those places (stuffed animals, treasures, etc.).
  6. Most importantly, have a welcoming attitude. You can have all the right things and have guests not feel comfortable or you can have a house that is a wreck, an empty fridge, and have guests that can’t wait to come back. So much of genuine hospitality is the attitude of the hostess.

I think this post sums it up! Thanks, Erica for allowing me to share!

 

Can I say an encouraging word about hospitality here?
I’m unsure if this would be considered an inappropriate post, as it is not really curriculum-related, so feel free to delete it.

But I just wanted to share a recent experience I had because let’s be honest, we’re all moms, and we all struggle with thinking our homes/ourselves are not “good enough” at times. Especially when we have preschoolers and are trying to “say yes” more!

My husband’s father remarried a woman from Mexico. This weekend we spent time at her brother and sister in laws house. The house was small, crowded, and cluttered. Don’t get me wrong, it was clean, but nothing like what most of us would consider nice or ready to entertain. There was nothing fancy about the food, just rice, and beans in mismatched pots on the stove, random plates of veggies on the very crowded table (which was in the small kitchen with mismatched chairs all around), a grill full of food and mismatched plates and silverware that everyone had to search the cupboards for. The host herself spoke broken English and was slightly awkward and very shy. She didn’t serve us and didn’t bustle around, making sure everything was perfect while we were there. She just sat, ate, tried her best to understand what we were saying, and quietly washed dishes afterward.

But I say all this to say I have never felt so at ease, so welcome, so like family in a strange place. All of my mother in laws family from Mexico has a way of just treating you like family. They don’t prepare the house (other than bringing out all the chairs from every room). They don’t cook anything special. They don’t even set out plates or forks, usually! But they are genuinely glad you are there, warm and friendly, and truly see everyone they invite into their home as a family and welcome.

I wanted to share this because I often want to reach out but don’t feel my home (or my own social skills!) are good enough. I worry about my kid’s attitudes and messes. But maybe, we try too hard and treat guests too differently to make them feel at home. Maybe if we could leave out the kid’s toys and let them be themselves (and let ourselves be ourselves!), and just welcome guests in as a family, our homes would feel even more hospitable!

Who can you invite over this week? 

Say YES, and have a great week!!!

Don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, THEREALKATHYLEE.

 

Thank you to The Homegrown Preschooler for sponsoring this Podcast! Check out the blog post-Kathy mentioned, Farmhouse Schoolhouse, to read more about A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at

The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, THEREALKATHYLEE.

 

 

Thank you to our Sponsor | 5000 BLANKETS


Inspired by a true story, 5000 BLANKETS will encourage you to give to others. Find hope this holiday season when you see 5000 BLANKETS in theaters. Exclusively in theaters December 12 & 13! 


Teaching Your Kids to Cook – MBFLP 135

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

MBFLP 135 Teaching Kids to Cook V

In the hurry and distraction of modern life, one critical skill which is falling aside is cooking – and we don’t mean microwave dinners or shake-the-box mac and cheese! Having the ability to plan and prepare even a few simple meals will open doors for independence, family life, and even ministry opportunities. You don’t have to be an executive chef to win this game. This episode, Melanie goes to the home of great American cooking, the Pelican State – Louisiana – and talks with our good friend Jan Smith about how to teach kids the basics of good, balanced, and delicious home cooking. It’s easier than you think … and you can start earlier than you probably imagine!

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