November 24, 2009
Table Manners Tea Party
With only two days until Thanksgiving I realized it may be a good time to review table etiquette with my little one. As much as I love this holiday we will be the only couple with chilldren at my family’s celebratory feast this year! Ack! That means lots of adult expectations. This is one year I would have no objection to sitting at the kids table!
So how do we talk about etiquette or table manners but make it fun?
I found some inspiration in that Alice in Wonderland book again! We read the book and then hosted our very own mad cap tea party.
“They buttered the gears. They sugared the springs. They strawberry jammed the wheels.”
- from the Tea Party in Alice in Wonderland
I let my son Wiley enforce the “rules” when our “guests” got out of hand. He felt very much in control and I think now that he knows the “rules” he’ll feel much more confident at a table with all the adults this Thanksgiving.
Tea parties are a great way to teach a variety of things. We counted out the place settings. He set the table. We had made rice crispies treats so we served those to our guests. While pouring the teddy bear some tea, the top to the pot came off and Wiley exclaimed “look mom, there goes the hubcap!”
good morning, superb writing.