Home Economics.

When nothing is valued for what it is, everything is destined to be wasted. Wendell Berry.

The most hits I get on this blog are on the random one I put up about the home ec curriculum we chose to use from Christian Light Publications. That being the case I thought it was probably time to update a review on how we are finding this curriculum.

Being a Mennonite curriculum the basic principle is line upon line, precept on precept. The first two units were very basic for us but a really good chance to review & make sure Ditz did actually know what to do if the grill caught fire, to turn her pot handles, what all the utensils were for & basic baking terminology. Bear in mind this is an American curriculum & if, like us, you are not American, weights & measure are in pounds, ounces & gallons. My house is bi~lingual by default. Most of my recipes are old enough to still be in pounds & ounces so this has not presented a huge problem for us. Otherwise make sure you have a good conversion chart.

Lessons are short. Read a page or two; fill in the blanks in the book, do some practice. This suites Ditz very well. No brain strain. She does actually like to cook so bonus for me! Now we are into our third unit & looking at things like: hidden costs; planning ahead; types of food stores; organizing the kitchen; preparing, serving, cleaning. Some things we already do: gardening & bulk buying. Others ~ well, lets just say I'm not strong on lists & organisation.

At the end of each unit there is a test that reviews the work covered. Unit 4 moves into the realms of menu planning ~ something I have never, ever done. I see the point but so much depends on what I actually feel like eating & have the energy to prepare come tea time. The prac has the planning, preparation, cooking & serving of a main meal. Ditz is already doing this in a simple way. Now is a good opportunity for her to refine her timing skills so everything is ready at the same time. There are suggestions for different ways to prepare a table & serve the meal too.

Units 5, 6 & 7 are the sewing units ~ everything from the basic ways to use a machine to choosing, laying out & reading a pattern. I may yet need my mother for this except she is something of a perfectionist & Ditz & I are more the gung~ho she'll be right sorts.

Units 8, 9 & 10 cover something of general housekeeping & decor, growing into godly womanhood & child development & growth. The same approach is used throughout: academics mixed with practical application. So far so good. I still really like how this curriculum is working for us though I have tweaked it a bit. Some of the recipes are too stodgy for us, things like pork too rich & we have had to evaluate the needs of the semi~vegetarians in our midst but as the idea is to practise reading a recipe & cooking from scratch I don't think it matters which recipe you choose so long as it's within the cook's capabilities & your family will eat the results.

The curriculum breaks down into very manageable parts. Some weeks we do several lessons, others just one if there's a lot of hands on work. All the instructions are incredibly easy to follow & very clear. I haven't seen another home ec curriculum that is as thorough & as easy to use. Highly recommended.