Home Economics Without Curriculum

Many families consider Home Economics to be a key course for high school. There are ten more. Curious about what they are? Click to find out more in my free ebook: The 10 Essentials for Homeschooling High School

Home economics has become more important than it used to be, when skills were accumulated in the process of growing up. With our busy lifestyles, now we need to consciously intend to teach these important life skills. All around us you see a generation who struggles with "adulting", showing that even common home economics tasks are so unusual they require a social media post when pulled off successfully.

Teaching basic skills in home management is one way you can be glad you gave your all in training your young adults. One day, as they live on their own, whether they decide to eat healthy, clean house, or maintain their home, at least you'll know you trained them well! In addition to in-home applications, children also learn about professional careers in home economics and related fields, like food service and fashion industries.

Home Economics may be called Family and Consumer Sciences. You could also have separate classes within different home economics skills. For example, instead of Home Economics, you could call your class Financial Literacy, or Foods 1.

Home Economics does not require a curriculum. You can teach it at home through practice. Consider these ideas:

1. ​The Pinterest Unit: Cooking, Sewing, and Shop​
2. Household Chores Unit: Home Management, Cleaning, and Maintenance​
   
3. Personal Responsibility Unit: Nutritional, Financial, and Relationship Issues​
   
4. Family Management Unit: Child Development, Education, and Health​
   
5. Professional Behavior Unit: Etiquette, Dress, and Habit​
   

• ​Healthy Cooking​
• Diet and Meal Planning​
  
• Foods and Nutrition​
  
• Financial Responsibility​
  
• Financial Management for Individuals and Families​
  
• Life Management​
  
• Family Relationships​
  
• Interior Design and Aesthetics​
  
• Clothing and Textiles​
  
• Fashion Design​
  

1. ​Performance and Assignments: list classwork sewing projects or recipes completed​.
2. Participation: you might even consider having your child fill out a work log of projects they did​.
   
3. Final Exam: this could be a written report or project. It could show the culmination of what they learned, like showing their fashion portfolio, or pulling off a complete family meal from start to finish​.