TOPS Educational Holiday Gift Idea

Being a child in a family full of education professionals means that your stocking is sure to be filled with an educational toy or two.  Our daughter-in-law comes from a family of teachers as well, so when Christmas rolls around, she's always looking for fun and educational gifts for our grandkids.  One of her picks for this year is the game, Apples to Apples.  Every once in a while, they love to sit around the table after dinner with the kids for Family Game Night.  Along with the parents, the family is comprised of a 12 year old girl and a 17 year old boy, so finding something that everyone can enjoy becomes quite a challenge!

This game is perfect for homeschool parents who want to sneak a few extra learning moments into the day.  It is a fantastic group activity of word association and matching that also builds vocabulary and parts of speech knowledge.  It also comes in Junior and Family versions.

Do you have some fun educational games on your Christmas List this year?  Feel free to share so we can pass it along so our grandchildren can continue to be secretly educated through fun family time!

TOPS Basic Table Manners for the Holidays

During the holidays, you want your youngsters to be extra polite and well-mannered.  TOPS thought it might be helpful to provide a list of basic table manners to remind your students about before the guests arrive.

Whether in a restaurant or in a home, here are some basic table manners to teach kids:

1. Eat with a fork unless the food is meant to be eaten with fingers. Only babies eat with fingers.

2. Sit up and do not hunch over your plate; wrists or forearms can rest on the table, or hands on lap. You don't want to look like a Neanderthal.

3. Don't stuff your mouth full of food, it looks gross, and you could choke.

4. Chew with your mouth closed. No one wants to be grossed out seeing food being chewed up or hearing it being chomped on. This includes no talking with your mouth full.

5. Don't make any rude comments about any food being served. It will hurt someone's feelings.

6. Always say thank you when served something. Shows appreciation.

7. If the meal is not buffet style, then wait until everyone is served before eating. It shows consideration.

8. Eat slowly and don't gobble up the food. Someone took a long time to prepare the food, enjoy it slowly. Slowly means to wait about 5 seconds after swallowing before getting another forkful.

9. When eating rolls, tear off a piece of bread before buttering. Eating a whole piece of bread looks tacky.

10. Don't reach over someone's plate for something. Politely ask that the item to be passed to you. Shows consideration.

11. Do not pick anything out of your teeth, it's gross. If it bothers you that bad, excuse yourself and go to the restroom to pick.

12. Always use a napkin to dab your mouth, which should be on your lap when not in use. Remember, dab your mouth only. Do not wipe your face or blow your nose with a napkin, both are gross. Excuse yourself from the table and go the restroom to do those things.

13. When eating at someone's home or a guest of someone at a restaurant, always thank the host and tell them how much you enjoyed it. At least say that you liked the dinner or mention a specific item that was particularly tasty, i.e. the dessert was great. Again, someone took time, energy, and expense to prepare the food, so show your appreciation.

SOURCE: www.teacherplanet.com