apprentice

Summer break will be here soon. Something fun and productive we have incorporated into our summers over the years is the “apprentice program.” Every summer I let my children each choose a few things they’d like to learn how to do and they enter into an apprenticeship with me. I encourage practical, age-appropriate things such as ironing shirts, mopping floors, and cleaning toilets, but also let them choose fun things like learning to use power tools, how to paint a room, or crochet. They especially enjoy developing new kitchen skills: making the perfect pie crust, donuts, or a favorite main course. If I catch them young enough, they love to learn to use the machines including the vacuum, washing machine, and even the sewing machine. By the end of the summer they feel very confident in many new skills. It’s great to have one of them say, “Can I fix sweet and sour chicken for supper tomorrow night?” And I can’t help but chuckle when I hear a big sigh and the lament, “And I just scrubbed that floor…”