The
Unit Study
Homeschooler
Jessica Hulcy
When my oldest
granddaughter
turned 4, one of my
presents to her was
an invitation to a tea
party for just Janey
and Grandear.
Tea Party
With“Grandear”
With hundreds of books on manners and hospitality available, I much prefer hands-on learning about
this subject. Last year, when my old-
est granddaughter turned 4, one of my
presents to her was an invitation to a tea
party for just Janey and Grandear. What
a perfect time to teach Janey about man-
ners and hospitality through fun! Having
had four boys and no girls to appreciate a
tea party with, I was in to it!
The Preparation
Since I am aging and my helper was
young, the two words of the day were
easy and beautiful. Homemade scones
would not have been a good choice with
a 4-year-old. First, we made our sand-
wiches: chicken salad from Sam’s Club
and egg salad made with boiled eggs,
mayonnaise, and chives or parsley cut
with scissors in a glass jar. Eggs always
need salt and pepper. No matter what the
sandwich filling is, spread each piece of
bread with a thin layer of butter before
adding the filling, always trim the crust,
and cut each sandwich into four small
triangles. Cream cheese can be the ba-
sis of any kind of sandwich spread. By
adding bleu cheese to the cream cheese,
. . . I had a blue hat for
her, to complement
her pink sundress, a
long strand of pearls,
and an embroidered
handbag . . . .
along with toasted walnuts and sliced
pears, you can create a delicious sandwich spread.
Next, we opened a box of chocolate
candies and placed them carefully on the
tiered tray. Quick petit fours are made
from Sara Lee pound cake sliced and
cut into small diamonds, then covered
with icing: 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1
tablespoon of melted butter, and 3 table-
spoons of hot water, beaten and poured
over the diamond-shaped cakes. Be sure
to add food coloring of choice to the ic-
ing, and allow the icing to harden. No
tea party would be complete without
strawberries and whipped cream. Cook-
ies, mini muffins, biscuits, or toast with
butter and jam, plus grapes or other fruit
cut and served on toothpicks, are ad-
ditional delicacies that can be added to
your menu.
