How to be a Grown-Up

Last month, Olivia started a new "course" in school, called "How to be a Grown-Up."  I got the idea from one of my favorite homeschool blogs.  Basically, I am teaching Olivia to bake, cook, and clean.  She is beyond psyched about the idea (and the boys cannot wait until it is their turn -- I followed Jamie's lead and I am having them wait until they are 8).

We started with bread.

I can't tell you how much fun this has been -- not just for Olivia.  I am learning right alongside her.  

The plan is:  we make each item 3 times.  We do this every Wednesday afternoon when the little kids go to swimming lessons.  The first time I show Olivia how to do it and she assists (actually, the cookbook tells me how to do it and I pretend that I knew it all along!).  Then, the second time, Olivia does all the work with me assisting.

The third and final time, Olivia does everything all by herself.  I only helped her place the bread in the oven.  The bread actually turned out best the last time.  I give all the credit to my beautiful girl (and perhaps to the fact that we forgot about the bread and it rose for a very long time -- making it lighter and less doughy than the other 2 attempts.)

We are going to make a simple white cake next.  As I said, I am learning along with Olivia.  As I grew up, my mom's idea of making a cake was from a box mix.  And I love me some Dunkin Hines, but there ain't nothing' like the real thing, so we are going to try to master this next.  

My only complaint with this whole program is that it is a little repetitive (making the same thing 3 times in a row) and that Olivia was kind of bored by the time we got to 'her' turn.  But, on the other hand, I think the kids of this generation are so used to being continually entertained with the next, newest, most  innovative thing…that perhaps it is important to slow down and learn the basics.  And, sometimes that means repetition and a little boredom (hello housework, and hello schoolwork).