As a way to teach crafts, math, economics and a bit of business to my granbeanie, as I call her, I let her create an end of term project.She chose to make items for a crafts booth. I've made her track costs, estimate time and figure potential profit. We will rent a booth at a local market and sell her item on May 2. I've explained that while we will probably make back our actual costs, we are unlikely to cover all costs. We are not considering the cost of anything I already owned or our time for this purpose. So we need to make $28 to turn a profit for our purposes or $104 to make a full profit.
I was a reluctant homeschooler. The decision was made by my daughter and her husband last year. I said I would help with English and art but when my daughter gave birth to a little boy with a rare genetic disorder last fall, I had to step up and take on more of the homeschooling. It is a lot of work and I have a great deal of respect for those families who willingly take this on. My granddaughter is not homeschooled out of any kind of religious motive. Rather it happened because so much of her time at school was spent waiting for the rest of the class to settle down.
I feel privileged to have this second chance to influence another generation. We get to talk a lot, my granbeanie and I, as we progress through her studies. I have taught her more than crafts: I have taught her how to write, which, in essence, is really how to think. I have taught her to care about craftsmanship and how to do a thing well, not just sufficiently. I have impressed on her how history is presented according to the author and I have encouraged her to view events from all perspectives. And I hope I have presented an empathetic world view and a sense that she can do anything.
My goal with my granbeanie is to make her an aware, competent and kind young woman. If, along the way she can punctuate and spell, do math and throw pots, it's all good.
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