FAQ

WHAT AGES IS TEA TIME TOGETHER™ FOR?

The recommended age for Tea Time Together™ Guides is 6-15 years old. Customize it for your students however you wish. Here are some suggestions on adapting it for younger and older students:

Younger Students: Skip the Biographies! Instead, just focus on the art and music. Keep it short, simple and fun! Your main goal at this age should be to expose your students to the beauty of art and music and create positive associations for them. Involve them in the prep as much as possible - folding napkins, counting snacks, etc.

Older Students: You can divvy up the reading and leading as you see fit. If anything catches your students' attention, challenge them to research it and bring back answers the following week. - i.e. "What was the Hudson River Valley School of Painting?, "Who was funding Michelangelo's art?", "What is pleuris?"

WHEN SHOULD WE DO TEA TIME TOGETHER™?

It’s totally up to you and what fits best into your schedule. The key is to choose a weekly time of 30 to 45 minutes - and be consistent. Make it part of your family rhythm. In our house, Tea Time works best on Friday afternoon. We homeschool four days a week and Fridays are our days to reflect, wrap up any unfinished projects, play educational games and spend time outdoors with friends. Our schedule that day looks like this:

8:30 - 10:30am: Weekly reflection & Wrap-up

10:30 -11:30am: Bake something for Tea Time.

12:30 - 3:00pm: Nature walk / outdoor time with friends

3:30 - 4:15pm: Tea Time Together™!

WHY STUDY ART, MUSIC & POETRY?

The Charlotte Mason method of education advocates for exposing your children to things that are beautiful, good and true as an integral part of a child's education. We are influenced by the things around us on a regular basis. Studying art, music & poetry provides a way to influence our children’s sense of beauty, and to cultivate within them an appreciation for what is good. Charlotte Mason said that one of the parents’ jobs is “the cultivation of the power to appreciate, to enjoy, whatever is just, true, and beautiful in thought and expression”.

It not only helps them enjoy the world and people around them, but it also sparks the imagination and curiosity of a child. And I've found it does the same for me.

HOW TO DO ART PICTURE STUDY

This is an easy activity, no need to over complicate it.
Display a picture and tell your students the name and artist who created it.
Have students study the picture for 1-3 minutes, taking in all the details they observe.
When they are ready, turn the picture over and ask them to describe the picture from memory.
Turn the picture back over and observe the picture together. Discuss the questions in the "Notice & Discuss" section of the guide.
Display the picture in a prominent location so students can look at it throughout the week

Don't feel the need to correct your student. This is not a lesson in art criticism. Simply let your student form their own relationship with the painting.

HOW TO APPRECIATE POETRY WITH CHILDREN

Read the poem aloud.

That's it! Just read it. If your students have any thoughts or observations or connections, let them share. For older children you may wish to talk about literary devices (metaphors, similes, alliteration, personification...) but it is not required.

HOW TO APPRECIATE CLASSICAL MUSIC WITH CHILDREN

Scan the QR code provided on each Tea Time Together Guide and play the piece. Have your students listen quietly for the first 1-2 minutes and then let them share any thoughts or observations they may have. Discuss the questions in the Music"Notice" section of the Tea Time Together Guide.

PRINTING TIPS

I recommend printing out the 'Weekly Guides' and the 'Meet the Artists' for the month. The 'Weekly Guides' should be printed 2-sided to make it as simple and easy as possible to go through the content each week. You may want to print multiple copies so that each child has one (or up to 2 can share).

Printing options:

1. Print Yourself

If you have an at-home printer, this is the fastest way to get started. I recommend printing on matte, card stock paper (80lb or thicker) at the highest quality possible. Epson EcoTanks are great options and can print high-quality images based on the type of paper and quality you select in your print options (I use "Plain Paper> Best Quality" to print ours). If your printer does not print double-sided, simply print the odd pages, flip and reload your paper and print the even pages. Recipes can be printed out for the month and kept in a binder that grows over time.

2. Use a Tablet or Laptop (or screencast to a TV)

If you prefer to save ink and paper, all of the 'Weekly Guides' and 'Meet the Artists' can be viewed digitally. This option allows you to zoom in on art, easily click QR codes, and access videos all from the PDFs.

3. Print Shop

We are so excited to partner with Humble Heart Press! It is fast, easy and affordable to get beautiful prints of our guides with Humble Heart Press. SImply, upload your files, choose your print options (color, cardstock, etc...) and your beautiful Tea Time Together Guides will arrive in the mail to you. We have loved everything we have had printed with HHP. PLUS, they are giving Tea Time Together customers 10% off! Use coupon code: TeaTime10 to get your discount!

Another option is sending your files to Staples(TM), FedExTM, The UPS StoreTM, or similar print shop is an easy way to get high-quality, double-sided printouts. Send the 'Weekly Guides' and 'Meet the Artists' files and request that they are printed in high-resolution color on 80lb or thicker card stock. This is much more expensive than Humble Heart Press, but may provide a faster turn-around time.

WHAT IS YOUR RETURN/REFUND POLICY?

Due to the digital nature of our product, unfortunately, we cannot accept returns or offer refunds. If you are not completely satisfied, please get in touch and we will do our best to make it right.