CURRICULUM ~ Monthly Pocket ~ Hot Tea Month ~ Remember Me Pockets: January

"Polly put the kettle on ... and we'll all have tea!"

In addition to being "NATIONAL OATMEAL MONTH," January is also "HOT TEA MONTH."  Until working through this section of the Remember Me Pockets for January, I didn't realize there were so many interesting things to know about this beverage.

The first tea bags, originally made of silk, were created by Thomas Sullivan in 1904.  One cup of tea has 40 mg of caffeine ~ compared to 99 mg for a cup of coffee.  Apparently the Emperor of China was the first to drink tea.  The material states that Americans drink 50 billion cups of tea each year (with 40 billion of these served as cold tea!)  I'd hate to know the number of cups the British drink... it seems like, on Coronation Street at least, any time there is a crisis, the characters make a brew and suddenly the world is right side up again! 

Alisdair and I had just finished reading these tea facts and completing a "Tea Time Test" before I headed out to an Open House a lady from our church was hosting.  She is launching her own tea importation business, selling small quantities of various blends of loose leaf tea to local people.  Carol calls her enterprise the Sips Tea Company.  I wrote an article for the newspaper about her venture and it was published online, as well as in the Battlefords Regional Optimist.  For more information, click on the above link.



Tea ~ "What's your bag??"

In order to complete the "Tea Time Test," Alisdair was given facts about BLACK, WHITE, GREEN, OOLONG, ROOIBOS and PU'ERH tea.  They each have different properties.  Some are non oxidized, while others are fully oxidized.  Some teas aid digestion while others help skin irritations or treat colic!  Want restful sleep?  Drink some tea!  Oolong tea, for example, will aid your digestion, treat eczema and psoriasis, has floral fruit and chocolate tones and will also increase your metabolism. 

Alisdair often likes to drink some green tea (especially Tim Horton's brand) before beginning his studies in the morning.

Alisdair's tea party!

Now, go brew yourself a pot!  Then relax, just for a few moments, over a steaming cuppa... you'll be glad you did!