My ten year old daughter is rather out numbered at our place; she was blessed to be the oldest child in a string of five - and the only girl. As I was planning out school for this term, and was thinking about some of the "home-ec." type things I wanted to make sure she mastered, we came upon this plan. (This is mostly meant as a place for me to get all the specifics written down before I forget and/or lose them...sorry if it's boring for any of you reading out there. :) She and I will begin by having a biweekly "'Lady in Training' Tea", where we will talk about being a young lady and plan/talk about that month's project, which when completed to satisfaction will earn her a badge to be sewed onto her Lady in Training shawl.
There will be 10 badges:
Cleanliness (particularly learning how to clean a house)
Baking
Planning (such as a daily or weekly meal plan, or creating a weekly schedule)
Child Care
Personal Care (both neatness in personal space and poise/hygiene) Might include for example, learning to braid her own hair.
Sewing
Nature's Care (which includes plant and/or animal care, whether for pleasure or profit)
Gracefulness
Strength
Generosity
Each Badge will have 3 levels, the first level of every badge having to be complete before going on to earn Level 2 Badges. Our goal is that she will be able to complete all of the Level 1 ("Lassie") Badges this year. Next year she would again work on earning a badge in each category, only at a more involved, ("Maiden") level. The third and final year, we would work on completing the last ("Young Lady") level of each badge, and then when all were finished she would graduate with some kind of a fun celebration and earn the cumulative, "Virtuous Young Woman " badge. (fittingly, it is badge number 31. :)
