What's Cooking on Tuesday?

 Interest in building is clearly emerging in the Cardinal classroom! At Choice Time today we invited children to explore the new blocks we added from the shed to our wood supply.  Adding colored wood blocks and a few new shapes seemed to draw the children to this area immediately.  Some of the blocks were rough and needed sanding and the children figured out what was needed to be done in  order to use them safely.  This was the second day in a row that we found scrapes of wood and set them up for children to explore and discover.  We realized that the long wood slats were rather bulky to use at the table, so we set all the materials up  ( after sanding) on the large Meeting rug in our classroom.  We also introduced a few new books that we had gotten from the library about building and houses.  The children enjoyed looking at the photographs of  the many different kinds of houses around the world. It is most interesting see where the interests will lead to in this area.

 

We have noticed that building with the Magna Tiles and blocks has become more detailed and sophisticated. Children are working more collaboratively and exploring more complex ways to build.  The structures involve balance more often and the children are attempting to build in vertical mode rather than flat. 

 Jacob shared coffee beans and grinds with the children at Morning Meeting today. He described how the beans changed into the grinds and enjoyed leading the discussion at Meeting.  Jacob walked around the circle for each child to feel the difference between the two.  This led to questions about coffee and where Jacob's Dad had bought the beans.  Conversation turned to supermarkets and the types of things you find there.  The teachers noticed that the children were very interested in sharing their experiences when they have gone to the supermarket.  At this time, Shannon mentioned that she had a activity at the sensory table planned for today where she also went to the supermarket to get the ingredients for the activity We used flour and water at the sensory table during Choice Time.  As the children were touching and feeling the mixture, connections to cooking and food were apparent.  Children commented, " It smells like oatmeal", "It feels like dough",  " You put some baking in the flour and then you mix", and " It looks like it's turning into waffles."

 

 The cooking spirit followed us outside as many friends explored 'baking cupcakes' in our glorious mud kitchen!

Outdoor play was wonderful. Here are some snapshots of the children engaged in our inviting play space.

A perfect way to wrap up the morning together was with a story. Paula read Walter the Baker by Eric Carle. As we sat together on the rug, the teachers noticed how much the Cardinal Class enjoyed listening to this story read aloud. The connection with baking and cooking was brought to life and the children asked, "Is there another story we can read?" We actually found the book, Stone Soup, and are looking forward to reading it!