Advent Day 21: Planning a Christmas Party Using Ratios

Planning a Christmas party means making sure there is enough food and drink for everyone.

Today’s Skill that Counts uses ratios to scale quantities accurately.

You are hosting 12 people.

Each person needs 1 food portion.

The food plan uses this ratio:

Food portions : Drink bottles

= 3 : 2

REMEMBER: RATIOS WILL ALWAYS BE WRITTEN IN THE ORDER OF THEIR ELEMENTS

This could be people, ingredients or in this case, food and drink.

Step 1: 

Identify what the ratio represents

For every 3 food portions, there are 2 drink bottles.

If you need any resources to build this skill, drop me an email or leave a comment for FREE RESOURCES ON RATIOS.

Step 2: 

Work out how many sets of the ratio are needed

You need 12 food portions.12 ÷ 3 = 4 ratio sets

Step 3: 

Scale the drink amount

Each ratio set includes 2 drink bottles.

2 × 4 = 8 drink bottles

If you need any resources to build this skill, drop me an email or leave a comment for FREE RESOURCES ON RATIOS.

Step 4: 

Check the result

Food portions: 3 × 4 = 12

Drink bottles: 2 × 4 = 8

The ratio has stayed the same.

Skills that Count Check

Always link the ratio to the real situation.

Scale both parts by the same number.

Check by rebuilding the ratio at the end.

The Skills that Count

Using ratios correctly helps you plan events, avoid shortages and make confident decisions when organising Christmas gatherings.

Share any experiences you may have of using ratios at work or meal planning in the comments.