Home Economics

About this course

This elective teaches the ordinary work of keeping a home. It opens with a biblical view of the household, setting goals, building routines, and dividing responsibilities fairly by age and ability. From there it covers family budgeting, tracking expenses, emergency funds and staying out of debt, meal planning and grocery shopping by unit price, kitchen safety and knife skills and cooking and baking, hand sewing and mending and an introduction to the sewing machine, laundry sorting and care labels and stain removal, cleaning routines and decluttering, hospitality and table manners and thank-you notes, child care and babysitting, and a closing unit on simple repairs, household documents, and emergency preparedness. Each lesson opens with a verse from the King James Bible, and the themes that come up most often are stewardship, diligence, contentment, and welcoming others.

The course is 10 units of 10 lessons each, 100 lessons in all, self-paced rather than tied to a daily schedule. A lesson is a short reading, usually 350 to 700 words, followed by a ten-question multiple-choice quiz that grades itself. The writing is plain and specific rather than general: it gives the water temperatures that set a blood stain versus lift it, the claw grip that keeps fingertips away from a knife blade, the reason a sewing machine must be threaded with the presser foot raised, and real dollar figures for a first emergency fund. It assumes no prior experience in the kitchen or at a machine, and it presents these as skills for any student rather than as work belonging to one role in the family.

A few practical notes. This is a reading and study course, not a supervised hands-on program, and most of its value comes from your student actually doing the work at home: cooking a real dinner, mending a real seam, keeping a real budget on paper. Several lessons describe work that deserves your supervision the first few times, including sharp knives, a hot stove and oven, an iron, and a sewing machine. Unit 7, on cleaning routines and organization, is noticeably shorter and lighter than the other nine units, so expect to fill it out with your own household standards. Unit 9 covers caring for young children, including safety-proofing, simple first aid, and guiding behavior with patience rather than harshness; it is written for a teen preparing to babysit, and it is worth reading alongside your student so the counsel matches your own. Dollar amounts, appliances, and emergency advice assume North America.

What the course covers

• A biblical view of the home, household goals, and daily routines
• Family budgeting, emergency funds, giving, and avoiding debt
• Meal planning, unit pricing, pantry stocking, and reducing waste
• Kitchen safety, knife skills, cooking methods, and basic baking
• Hand sewing, mending, hemming, and using a sewing machine
• Laundry sorting, fabric care labels, stain removal, and ironing
• Cleaning routines, decluttering, and home organization
• Hospitality, table setting, manners, and written correspondence
• Child development, home safety, simple first aid, and babysitting
• Simple home repairs, household documents, and emergency preparedness

What your student will be able to do

• Build a monthly household budget and track income and expenses against it
• Plan a week of meals and shop for them within a set grocery budget
• Cook simple meals and bake bread safely by reading and following a recipe
• Mend clothing by hand, sew on a button, hem a garment, and run a sewing machine
• Sort, wash, and treat laundry so that clothing lasts longer
• Care for a young child responsibly, including routines, safety, and basic first aid

Scope and sequence

All 10 units of Home Economics for Grade 11, in the order they are taught.

Inside the course

These photographs appear in the lessons themselves, not just on this page. Every one is freely licensed and credited to its photographer at the foot of this page.

Every lesson, by title

All 100 lesson titles are listed here — nothing is withheld until you download. Open a unit to read its contents.

One whole lesson, exactly as it comes

This is a real lesson taken from the middle of the course — the teaching text, the practice, the homework, and the first three quiz questions with their answers. It is not a marketing excerpt.

Unit 6: Laundry & Textile Care — Washing, Stain Removal & Garment Maintenance · Lesson 1

Sorting Laundry Correctly

Why Sorting Matters

Sorting laundry before washing is one of the most critical steps in clothing care. Many people rush through this step, mixing everything together, but taking five extra minutes to sort properly prevents fading, color bleeding, damage to delicate fabrics, and extends the life of your entire wardrobe. The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 31:27 that a wise woman "looketh well to the ways of her household." This means paying careful attention to the details of managing your home. Proper laundry sorting is a practical way to demonstrate this stewardship and wisdom.

Sorting by Color

The most important sort is by color. Separate whites, lights, brights, and darks into different piles. Whites should always wash separately because they can easily pick up dyes from colored fabrics. Never assume a dark item won't bleed—even navy and black garments can release color, especially when new. Bright reds and dark blues should be washed together away from lighter colors. Warm or cool water helps preserve color brightness; whites can handle hot water to restore brilliance.

Sorting by Fabric Type and Weight

Fabric types require different wash settings. Delicate items like lingerie, athletic wear with spandex, and fine knits need gentler washing than sturdy cotton T-shirts, jeans, and work clothes. Heavy fabrics like denim and towels can damage delicate garments if tumbled together in the washer. Synthetics often require lower heat than cotton. Group similar weights and fabric contents together so you can use appropriate water temperature and wash cycle settings for each load.

Soil Level Sorting

Heavily soiled items should wash separately from lightly soiled everyday clothes. Work clothes, exercise wear, and stained items may need extra water volume or longer wash cycles. Washing them with clean clothes can transfer dirt and cause those clean garments to look dingy. If you have only a few heavily soiled items, they can often be pretreated and added to a regular load, but deeply soiled items deserve their own cycle.

Preparation Before Washing

Once you've sorted into piles, inspect each item carefully. Check every pocket for phones, money, tissues, candy wrappers, and other forgotten items. A tissue left in a pocket will shred during washing and cover all your clothes with white fuzz. Turn inside-out any garments with screen prints or embroidered designs to protect them from fading and wear. Button all buttons on shirts and zip all zippers to prevent snagging and damage. Flip jeans inside-out to reduce fading. These few moments of care make a significant difference in how long your clothes remain looking fresh.

Conclusion

Effective sorting is the foundation of good laundry management. It's not a step to skip or rush through. When you sort carefully—by color, fabric type, weight, and soil level—you're demonstrating the biblical principle of thoughtful stewardship over the resources God has given you. Your clothes will last longer, look better, and your washing machines will work more efficiently too.

The first three of this lesson's 10 questions

According to Proverbs 31:27, what does a wise woman do regarding her household?

1. She buys new clothes instead of caring for old ones
2. She ignores the details and manages quickly
3. She looketh well to the ways of her household
4. She avoids doing laundry entirely

Show the answer

Answer: She looketh well to the ways of her household

Why is it important to separate whites from colored clothes?

1. To prevent color bleeding and fading
2. Because dryers cannot handle mixed colors
3. It makes laundry take longer
4. Because white clothes need hot water only

Show the answer

Answer: To prevent color bleeding and fading

Which of the following should be washed separately from heavy fabrics like jeans and towels?

1. Work clothes and exercise wear
2. Delicate items like lingerie and fine knits
3. Dark-colored everyday clothing
4. Light-colored cotton shirts

Show the answer

Answer: Delicate items like lingerie and fine knits

Another 7 questions follow in the lesson itself, each one graded the moment it is answered.

What you will need

Drawn from the materials named across all 100 lessons of this course. Most families already own most of it.