I really wanted to love poetry tea time. Really I did but we found it just wasn’t the right fit for our homeschool. I googled and searched looking for ideas to make the boys love it but I just couldn’t get my kids excited about poetry tea time! Finally, I gave up and came up with the idea of doing a documentary lunch!
What is Poetry Tea Time?
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Poetry tea time is a great way to introduce your kids to poetry in a gentle and fun way! Basically, you gather some poetry and read it while having tea and snacks. While it is called poetry tea time, many homeschool families do hot chocolate or any drink they’d like. The name poetry tea time just stuck.
There are tons of websites, books, and articles associated with poetry tea time. They offer ideas, suggestions, books, and even tea ideas. I researched them all! I wanted my boys to be exposed to poetry and learn to enjoy it.
If you want to check out more about poetry tea time check out Poetry Tea Time with Brave Writer.
Unfortunately, it was a bust in this house. They cried, they whined, and I pulled my hair out and tried again. Nope, it wasn’t going to work for us at all!
Then I came up with the idea of having a documentary luncheon instead.
What is Documentary Luncheon?
I have a couple of very visual learners in this household so I liked including videos, documentaries, and shows in our learning process. Documentary luncheon is one way we do this and the boys LOVE it!
The easiest explanation is they watch a show, documentary, or video about a topic we are studying while eating lunch! Now, if you don’t have a way to eat lunch with a TV or other streaming device this might not work out for you. While we almost always eat at the dining room table as a family, documentary luncheon is a treat so they love it even more!
Find a Documentary
The only preparation I really need to do is find a video, documentary, show, or movie related to something we are currently studying. I have most streaming services at this point but YouTube is one of my favorites for documentary luncheon. I search YouTube for our topic of study, look for kids’ videos and create a list based on the topic we’re studying.
Otherwise, a quick google search for our topic of study plus a documentary will usually produce a few options. Disney+ has great National Geographic documentaries as does Curiosity Stream and Netflix.
Make & Serve Lunch
I don’t consider this part of the preparation since I have to make lunch anyway! Sometimes I make leftovers or sandwiches but most often my kids love a charcuterie board during documentary luncheon!
Charcuterie boards are great for introducing new foods to kids plus its mostly finger foods, which kids absolutely love. Check out my post on 30 of the Best Charcuterie Boards for inspiration (there are even some kid-themed ones!).
Final Thoughts on Documentary Luncheons
While I really hoped poetry tea time would work for us it just didn’t and that’s okay. The beauty of homeschooling is being able to drop what doesn’t work for your family and try something different!
I do still read poetry to the kids on occasion but it isn’t a daily or even weekly event anymore. We find things that interest us and I have a few favorite poetry books for kids around the house as well.
My kids are still learning and they love watching documentaries. Bonus, I can sneak some poetry in through videos as well and that works too!
FAQ’s
Do I have to serve lunch?
Nope, try documentary breakfast or documentary snack time! Whatever works for you!
How do find videos on YouTube?
I search by the topic we are studying and add “for kids” to the end of my search. This usually brings up a bunch of videos that I can sift through and add to a playlist. You’d be surprised at how often my kids actually go back and rewatch their favorite topics. Be sure to label your playlists so you can reference them in the future and reuse them later.
Will you ever try poetry tea time again?
Of course! I never write something off entirely but it just wasn’t working for us during this season of our homeschooling journey. I’ll probably try again in a few years when the twins are a bit older.
Conclusion
Have you tried poetry tea time? Let me know how documentary luncheon goes over with your kids!
Sounds like a great idea!
I’ve never heard of either Poetry Team Time or Documentary Luncheon, but both are so creative and are such good ideas! I will remember this when my daughter is older. Such a great way to spend some quality time with your child and do something different and fun! Thanks for sharing!
It’s great to hear that you were able to find a solution that works for your family when poetry tea time didn’t quite fit the bill. The flexibility of homeschooling is one of its biggest perks, and it’s important to remember that it’s okay to try something new and switch things up when needed. Your kids are still getting plenty of exposure to poetry and other forms of literature through documentaries and other methods, which is fantastic. Keep up the excellent work!
Documentary luncheon is such brilliant idea!!! Add in the charcuterie board idea will really make my kids feel like this is a special treat!!!
Exactly! It’s so much fun and the kids are learning and eating at the same time!