Tea and Poetry Time, George Edition: Daily Art Practice
Couch Talk
It was our first full week of vacation and we found plenty of activities to keep us busy. One morning, we got up early and went to the strawberry patch to pick 15 quarts of strawberries. Once I got home and realized how early it was, I took a trip to the greenhouse to pick out plants for my garden. Better late than never. We had beautiful weather this weekend and spent our Saturday cleaning out the garden, mulching, composting and planting. Overall, a very profitable week and a great way to start the summer.
PaperArtsy Blog Post
I was over at the PaperArtsy blog last week, sharing a handmade mini journal for the theme Leftovers. I made a beach themed journal to document and display pictures from our beach holiday last year. You can check out the cover and 4 full layouts HERE.
Tea and Poetry: George Washington
I mentioned last week that we started our summer Tea and Poetry Time. Our theme, George Washington, was inspired by our recent visit to George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon. I searched our local library and found some great books to read with the children. Here are a few of our favorites.
George Washington’s Teeth was a great book, based off of historical information from Washington’s correspondence and journals. As a child I always heard that George Washington had wooden teeth, but that is not true. Apparently, he was plagued throughout his life with fevers and infections from poor oral care. It was an eye-opening book and the first thing my children said when we finished reading was, “Mom, I need to go brush my teeth.” A good lesson learned.
I George Washington was another book that my children enjoyed. It is set up in a comic book format with dialogue bubbles. I personally did not read this book but my son read it and liked it.
While the book, The Silent Witness is not about George Washington, it is a true story about a little girl that lived during the Civil War and the Battle of Manassas. One of the days we were on vacation we visited the Battlefield of Manassas and learned about the two battles that took place. My daughter especially liked this book as it was about a girl her age.
When it came to the food for tea time, this was our table.
To give us a more authentic experience, I found recipes on the Mount Vernon website that were based off or similar to the Washington’s family recipes. We made The Worster House Hot Cross Buns, Toasted Marmalade Tea Sanwiches, and Raspberry Ice Cream. As you can see below, the recipe made 35 Hot Cross Buns. It was our first time making them and they were a hit! We made them together from start to finish, which was a lot of work, but it made them all the more enjoyable. We had never had marmalade so that was also a first and very delicious. Sadly, the raspberry ice cream was not to our liking as it was a custard base but we all gave it a try.
Of course, our meal was not complete without some Early American Music serenading our tea time.
Tea Day
I am joining the Tea Day ladies, hosted by Elizabeth and Bluebeard. My children chose Earl Grey for this weeks Tea and Poetry. I received this tin of loose tea from my SIL who lives in Germany. I wasn’t sure if this would be too strong for my children but they loved it and asked for a second pot.
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
This is such a wonderful idea for family time. of Tea and Poetry time. and what wonderful recipes you found for your theme Loving it.
Glad you were able to pick some strawberries and gardening too.
Happy T Kathy
The George Washington meal looks great, and so do the books. I’ve only seen the grounds of Mt.Vernon —- the lines to go inside were always too long. One of my granddaughters went to Manassas with her school class some years ago, but the guide was so graphic in describing the battlefield that the teachers interrupted and took the kids out of the tour. Good that you went as a family.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Love that you have a tea and poetry time. And then having food and drink and music to go with it all is perfect. Those glass vintage goblets on the table are beautiful!!
Happy T day!
I love the idea of tea and poetry! And the information about books about Washington was very interesting. So fun! Happy T Day, Kate.
I went strawberry picking also, and finished up my gardening. And the strawberries right now are so yummy!, aren’t they? I love your tea. It is quite fancy. Never mind those hot cross buns look great and you can’t go wrong with ice cream. I hope you share these T parties with us as you continue. Have a great T day and weekahead. hugs-Erika
Your George Washington themed tea time looks lovely and so delicious. This must have been so much fun both for you and your children and a great learning adventure as well.
Oh? I “Learned” Washington had horse-teeth (which I simply cannot imagine! After all he was not British – kidding!).
Not into sweets here, but great idea to have food as history lesson – with that: A happy T-Day to you!
Fabulous little journal, love it. And the buns you made look wonderful. But for me, thes best thing is that you read to your children, that’s great. Happy T Day, hugs, Vaerie
What an impressive way to engage your children in learning. Those books sound wonderful and the Manassas Battlefield is a real sight to see. I also remember visiting years ago and learning about both battles.
Your hot cross buns are beautiful and so good that you all worked on making them. Thanks for sharing your books, the trip to Manassas, the hot cross buns, and your tea with us for T this Tuesday, dear Kate. BTW, even if you didn’t like the tea, that tin is to die for!
That’s quite the spread!
That’s a lot of strawberries! I love hot cross buns, and those look delicious. Happy T Tuesday
OMGosh what a lovely post. So creative in teaching your kids. Ohhh that table setting is just beautiful. Have the very best day.
Kate talk about total immersion in a subject… i think children learn best that way.. Those hot cross buns turned out beautifully! Please pass one this way!! And the tea is a lovely color.. Wonderful post.. Happy happy T day! Hugs! deb
I love the idea of tea and poetry. You really (literally) make a meal of it. Such a great idea. The children won’t forget that. The books look wonderful.
It must have been such fun to make those buns together. I remember that your son in particular, likes baking. Hot cross buns are so good. I have tried many times to make them but they have never turned out as nice as yours!
Like Elizabeth, I want to comment on how nice the tin is , never mind the tea!
Happy T-Day,
Lisca
Such a fun way to encourage reading and cooking. Your hot cross buns look amazing. Happy T Day
What a fabulous way to learn and clever of you follow up your visit some fun activities! The buns look great! What a pretty tea caddie Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx
ooh hot cross buns, my favourite! They are so popular here that they sell them all year round when really they are supposed to be an Easter treat. Sorry for my lateness. Happy T Day! Elle/EOTC xx