Hosting a War Poetry Tea Time was an excellent way to teach the girls more about the heavy subject of the First World War. We had a lovely relaxed time. Abigail baked some Ration Scones, and I made some fruit jam to go with it. We made a lovely tea pot full of hot tea, and a chocolate milk for Abigail. I tried to make the table look beautiful. The girls were so excited!
Setting Up the War Poetry Tea Time
I wanted this war poetry tea time to be something we replicate a few times throughout our studies of World War One. To this end, I ironed a little home made hand sewn table cloth, and popped it over the coffee table:
We lit a couple of candles, chose a couple of poetry books and listened to ‘Songs of World War I’:
The Ration Scones are made with lard and no sugar. They are delicious, but the jam was a perfect accompaniment for them:
Reading the Poetry
To begin with Becca (who absolutely LOVES poetry) read out from our book of war poetry whilst eating and drinking at the same time:
Abigail did the same. But then (coming on the back of her excellent Edwardian presentation) she asked if she could stand up and read them out:
Abs was very enthusiastic, and Becs a very willing listener and cheered on-er:
Becs even asked for another turn, but to read the poems whilst standing up too. Well, of course I said yes! Some of the poems are not only hard to understand but also hard to read…I’m not sure why, but some were written in old English. But they both did a great job!
We all had such a lovely time together ❤️
Further Reading
Jane Austin Tea Party – We had a lovely tea party years ago when we were studying the Georgians:
LitCharts – This is where I get all my poetry and literature guides