FD007
Citizenship
Setting
the Table
Purpose
Youth show they care about the people with
whom they share meals by setting the table
and demonstrating mealtime manners.
Facts to Know
per
Suggested group size: six to eight children
adult volunteer
Time frame: group meeting 30 to 60 minutes
Recommended ages: 5- to 7-year-olds
(kindergarten through second grade)
Materials:
Cloverbud handout – Napkin Folds
n
Cloverbud handout – Secret Table Manners
n
Cloth napkins (one per member)
n
Plastic tableware (plates, forks, spoons,
n
knives and drinking glasses)
Paper napkins
n
Meal or snack of your choice for members
n
May 2014
Background Knowled
ge
Setting the tabl
e shows we ca
re about the p
who will sit dow
eople
n to eat with u
s. It’s an act o
respect and lo
f dignity,
ve. Table settin
g today has be
art. This art ev
come an
en has a nam
e, “tablescapin
of arranging e
g
.”
The art
ating utensils
and dishes for
eating has vari
serving and
ed across cultu
res and a histo
goes back befo
ry that
re the medieva
l era.
Table setting is
a task that any
member of a h
can help with
ousehold
before mealtim
es. The eating
dishes for serv
utensils and
ing and eating
are called tabl
arrangement o
eware. The
f tableware for
an individual is
place setting.
called a
The way place
settings and ta
arranged arou
bleware are
nd a table is ca
lled table settin
g.
In this lesson,
members will
p
ra
ctice setting a
“everyday” me
table for
als and “forma
l” meals.
Learning Activities
Do: Getting started
Table Spelling (five minutes)
Do: Digging Deeper
Setting the Table (10 minutes)
Prior to the meeting, ask that each member bring an
everyday place setting from his or her home. The place
setting should include a plate, fork, knife, spoon and
drinking glass. Using his or her home tableware, each
member will learn to set his or her place setting. Pass
out one napkin to each member. Use the following
directions:
Here are three great tips for helping
members remember the order of plates and
utensils for a basic table setting:
1.Picture the word “FORKS.” The order, left
to right, is: F for fork, O for the plate (the
shape), K for knives and S for spoons.
(OK, you have to forget the R, but you get
the idea!)
2.Holding your hands in front of you, touch
the tip of your thumb to the tip of your
forefinger on each hand. This will make
a lowercase “b” with your left hand and a
lowercase “d” with your right hand. This
reminds you that “bread and butter” go to
the left of the place setting and “drinks”
go on the right.
3.Some other things to know:
a.Knife blades always face the plate.
b.The napkin goes to the left of the fork
or on the plate.
c.The bread and butter knives are
optional.
(Basic Table Setting, 2012)
1.Remember the FORK table spelling tip from earlie
r?
Each letter in FORK (except for the R) represents one
of the basic tableware pieces and where it goes.
2.Lay the plate (the letter O) on the table directly in
front of you. The bottom edge of the plate should be
a
short distance from the edge of the table. You should
be able to lay your hand sideways between the edge
of the table and the edge of your plate.
3.Lay the fork (the letter F) to the left of the plate. The
bottom of the fork handle should line up with the
bottom of the plate. You should be able to lay two
fingers between the edge of the fork and the edge of
your plate.
4.Lay the knife (the letter K) to the right of the plate.
The bottom of the knife handle should line up with
the bottom of the plate. You should be able to lay two
fingers between the edge of the knife and the edge of
your plate. Remember, the blade always faces towar
d
the plate.
5.Lay the spoon (the letter S) to the right of the knife.
The bottom of the spoon handle should line up with
the bottom of the plate. Place the spoon right next to
the knife.
6.Now, remember the letters we made with our hand
s?
The left hand made a “b” and the right hand made a
“d.” Each letter represents an item and where it goes
.
7.We have no bread plates for this place setting, so
we
will skip this step.
8.Set the drinking glass (the letter “d” made by your
right hand) above the knife. You should be able to lay
two fingers between the tip of the knife and the edge
of your drinking glass.
9.Fold your napkin in half and lay this to the left of your
fork or on the center of your plate. Either place is OK.
Do: Looking Within
Napkin Folding (15 minutes
)
[Cloverbud Handout – Napkin Folds]
.
For the most part, setting the table means following rules
ins.
napk
ging
But one place you can be creative with is arran
and a
Pass out the Cloverbud handout showing napkin folds
g one or
cloth napkin for each member. Lead the group in foldin
:
tions
direc
ing
both of the patterns. Use the follow
Pyramid Napkin Pattern
1.Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
2.Fold the napkin in half diagonally to make a
triangle, the folded side toward you.
3.Fold the right corner of the napkin up to
meet the point at the tip of the triangle.
4.Fold the left corner of the napkin up to
meet the point at the tip of the triangle.
5.Turn the napkin over. Be sure to keep the
open end facing toward you.
6.Fold the top tip of the napkin over to
meet the tip closest to you.
7.Fold the napkin away from you, along
the center seam to form a pyramid.
Diamond Napkin Pattern
1.Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
2.Fold the napkin in half with the open end facing you.
3.Fold the napkin into quarters.
layer of the napkin
4.Turn the closed point toward you and fold the first
toward the closed point nearest you.
the first fold.
5.Fold the next layer of the napkin a little lower than
the second fold.
6.Fold the next layer of the napkin a little lower than
the third fold.
7.Fold the last layer of the napkin a little lower than
up
8.Tuck both right and left ends of the napkin under and
to form a diamond shape.
Reflect/Apply
Reflect: Bringing Closure
A Rude Meal (30 minutes)
ds
5.Once each member understan
rs]
nne
Ma
opposite
le
its
Tab
his or her table manner and
[Cloverbud Handout – Secret
action, use the following directions:
cultures and
Just as table settings vary across
in from this
Ask the members
a.Opposite table manners can beg
history, so, too, do table manners.
es.
hom
ir
osite table
the
opp
in
r
d
point forward. You may do you
for examples of table manners use
s
vide
pro
dout
manner as often as you’d like.
The Secret Table Manners card han
will
y
the
t
tha
ers
mb
me
to
le.
several examples. Explain
b.Please find your seat at the tab
y all sit down
the
le
whi
e
gam
e
osit
opp
an
ying
. For example:
be pla
ck, the
c.Please say a short table thanks
sna
a
g
usin
If
ck.
sna
or
al
me
all
b, yaaayyy
to share a sm
for
Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the gru
e;
par
pre
to
ps
ste
l
era
sev
e
tak
snack item should
“Friendly Clovers” 4-H Club!
trail mix or making
example: frosting cookies, making
one of the
d.Please take a small helping from
ice cream sundaes.
pass the dish
and
serving dishes in front of you
al
me
the
for
le
tab
the
set
p
hel
1.Ask all members to
to another person.
ck.
sna
or
his or her plate or
6.Once each member has filled
ret
Sec
come take a
built his or her snack, enjoy!
2.Ask all members to stand and
.
you
Table Manners card from
out their opposite
7.At any time, members may act
d
car
to keep the
lt to read the
le manner. Ask the adult helpers
tab
3.Each member will need an adu
to have fun but
le manner he or
meal moving along. The object is
to him or her and share which tab
le
tab
ir
the
re
d.
sha
to
han
not to let the activity get out of
she received. Members are not
manner with other members.
mbers to guess
8.At the close of the meal, ask me
ct
exa
the other
the
of
which poor table manner each
4.For this activity, members will do
the
by
gested
members was demonstrating.
opposite of the good manner sug
the
on
ong
bel
not
do
ows
card. For example: “Elb
table and store
9.Members can help to clear the
or her elbows
his
p
kee
ld
wou
er
mb
me
s
Thi
le.”
tab
leftover food items.
meal or snack.
on the table throughout the entire
Apply: Going Beyond
1.Make a tablecloth or placemats (12 by 18
inches) from pieces
of fabric. A burlap fabric works well. Pull strin
gs at the edges to
make a fringed edge.
2.Make themed centerpieces. Use materials
found inside or outside
of the home, such as flowers, weeds, pine cone
s, evergreens,
vegetables, fruits or holiday decorations. Plan
around a theme
such as Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving or oute
r space.
3.Set up a relay race. Teams race to build a
basic table setting with
plastic tableware. Divide the plastic tableware
(plate, fork, spoon,
knife, drinking glass) and napkin among the
members of each
team. Each participant runs to the table to set
one item in place
and runs back to tap the next person to run
and set his or her
item in place. The teams continue until all the
tableware is placed.
Check to see if the table settings were set appr
opriately.
Acknowledgements
Project Coordinator, Author
and Editor: Monique Snelgrove,
Extension Agent, Center for 4-H
Youth Development
Curriculum Consultant and Editor:
Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D.,
L.R.D., Extension Specialist, NDSU
Extension Service
Contributing Author: Nicole Seaberg,
Dietetic Intern, NDSU Extension
Service
Resources
Basic Table Setting. (2012). Retrieved
Nov. 29, 2012, from Emily Post:
www.emilypost.com/table-mannerssub-menu/basic-table-setting
For more information, see www.ndsu.edu/4h
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