The D. family uses themes to teach. Last year, the election year provided Civics as a theme. A local school received a grant for their courtyard garden and will have Gardens as a theme for their children: organic gardens, pollinator gardens, heirloom gardens, pumpkins, native plants, and vegetables. Loads of lessons: raised beds, plant compatibility, zone planting, soil pH, rain barrels, weather station, etc. Don't get me started.
What other themes? My bias is science. The D. family also built a shed. This type of project can be a theme. The S. family has plans to convert an old barn into a garage. The family wants a heated concrete floor. What are the costs? The dimensions? How much concrete? Are their different types of floor heating systems? How do they differ? See? I recommend detailed notes on spreadsheets.
Another family friend flips houses with his boys. Think of all the lessons! Start with paint. We just rehabbed our new house--after nine months prepping our old house for sale. Ask me about paint. The paint choices can be overwhelming. Start with the choices for painting kitchen cabinets: Chalk paint, Behr Cabinet paint (an alkyd semi-gloss), Benjamin Moore's Advance, Olde Century Paint (acrylic latex) and Old Village Paint. Actually, you could compare latex and oil paint. Research low VOC paints and exactly what low VOC paint is or means. (We used Olde Century paint for our cabinets after scads of research and testing both with and without an acrylic top-coat.)
Does this give you ideas for your family? Sometimes we overlook all of the Economics, math, and science inherent in these projects. I think a lesson about types of household molds, health risks, and its treatment makes for a good lesson. Just ask our favorite seven year old, Paul. We call these life lessons.
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