Traditionally, cooking inside of the classroom is not something that we hear, talk about or even teach. It's something our students do at home with their families. Well, I'm here to tell you that that is a thing of the past! I want you to know how easy it is to incorporate cooking into your weekly lesson plans, why you should, and some great No Bake recipes that are perfect for the classroom.
In my classroom, we have Fun Food Friday. Every Friday morning we do our "cooking" and then we enjoy our treat in the afternoon after lunch. It's a great way to end the week, the kids love it, and the kids are learning!
What!? The kids are learning? What can they possibly be learning from cooking that is educational? Sequencing! Following directions! Math skills (adding, doubling)! Reading! Independence! How to fend for themselves! The list goes on and on.
Think back to when you first learned to make Kraft macaroni and cheese. That, at least for me, was an epic day... and it still is, considering it is one of the 5 things that I can cook and not mess up. Anyway, the first time you cooked it all by yourself, how excited were you?! How proud were you? How proud were your parents?! Cooking is kind of one of those rights of passage that you just learn over time. Well now it's time for our students to start cooking even earlier in life and you can be the one to make it happen!
So how do you plan for cooking in the classroom? Like you plan for everything else, with a calendar. A cooking calendar. One where all of the dates are planned out for you and the list of the ingredients is laid out for you. Let's add in simple recipe ingredients, because that always helps.
Now that we've covered the logistics of the why and how, let's talk about the what. What can you possibly make in your classroom throughout the year that you don't need a stove or an oven for? Better yet, there can't possibly be enough recipes out there that are easy enough for elementary students to work through! Let's be real, cooking the same thing every 4 weeks will get old super quick. The kids will start rushing through it and get bored... and then you'll be back at square one. People, I AM ONLY KIDDING!
There are so many recipes out there for you to use in your classroom, it's kind of crazy. Some are definitely more simple than others and there might be some that you just can't touch (insert peanut allergy here).
I'm not saying finding the right recipes for your kids will be easy, but I've definitely made it easier with
this guy. I've planned it all out for you, Friday by Friday for the entire school year. Not only do you get the recipes and the cooking calendar, you get the whole enchilada (I kid again, those aren't on the classroom menu). You get a step-by-step activity mat for every single recipe, the calendar includes ingredients on it, and there's a boy and girl version of the allergy permission slip for you to send home at the beginning of each month. It really couldn't be more simple!
If you still are unsure, you can grab
a free cooking lesson here that includes all of the above mentioned components.
Try it out and see how awesome it is. I promise you, your life and classroom will be forever changed!
What do you think about cooking in the classroom?
Had to laugh...I am actually a pretty good cook, but failed at Kraft mac and cheese when my nephew wanted it years ago! I rinsed the noodles after cooking them, since you do that to stop the cooking and get rid of the starch when using them in other dishes...he was mortified!
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued by your no stove/no oven ideas, since our school's kitchen is off limits. Plus, I am guessing a lot of parents these days don't do much actual cooking for the kids to help with. (Again, going with my sister's family who knows every chain's menu by heart...)
Hey Suzy! I'm so happy to hear that you are cooking in your classroom!
DeleteMost of the ingredients are purchased with my own money, but a lot of parents will donate plates, cups, plasticware, and ingredients monthly.
Many of the no bake recipes use the same ingredients, like peanuts, M&Ms, cereals... so I will purchase items like this in bulk to get the most for my money.
Stephanie
I teach a life skills class as well, and we actually do cook on Friday. I am intrigued, however, by your no-bake recipes. At present, we do use both the stove/oven unit and the microwave.
ReplyDeleteYou make no mention of how you acquire your ingredients. At my school, I do not have a pantry budget, and rely on my own bank account and parent donations. Do you have a suggestion for buying ingredients, such as in bulk, or do you have school stipend for this activity?
I do purchase many of the ingredients myself, but I am fortunate enough to have parents that are happy to donate supplies to the classroom for Fun Food Friday. I will send home the monthly recipe list with the list of ingredients, which gives parents an idea of supplies we will need for the month.
DeleteHi Stephanie!
DeleteI'm working on a grant app sponsored by our school's PTO and wondered if you could give a rough budget estimate for each week/month of Fun Food Friday for one class. I thought you included that info somewhere, but can't find it now!
Thanks!
Donna
Hey Donna, I've never divulged a budget for FFF because I honestly don't know the total cost per school year. It all depends on what supplies you need. Strictly for food, your budget is going to be anywhere from $30-50 a month (for a small class). But if you are going to be in need of paper plates, paper bowls, and plasticware, you'll need to budget money for that. Another thing to think about is also kitchen tools and equipment. Do you have measuring cups, mixing bowls, utensils, and other supplies? If you don't, you'll need to budget those supplies in for your grant. My suggestion is to budget about $50 per month for food, and if you're in need of other supplies, head to Wal*Mart and make a list of supplies you are in need of with the prices. :) Best of luck to you with your grant!
Deletecan you explain how you use the sequencing mat, with the numbers. do you cut the numbers out and Velcro them to each pic? thanks. Sonja sheinzman@fremont.net
ReplyDeleteHey Sonja! So the sequencing mat that has the numbers on it is used as the base for students to glue on the steps of the recipe. So you get a recipe mat and a sequencing mat for each recipe. I have my students cut out the pictures from the recipe mat, and together we glue them on to the sequencing mat. This helps practice our fine motor skills, our listening skills, and our ordinal numbers. :) I hope this helps and answers the question you asked! - Mrs. D
DeleteI used to love cooking in the classroom, but when we lost class size reduction and classes swelled to 34, I lost my momentum. I have been searching for a new Fun Friday activity this year, and you have inspired me to try cooking again with my little guys. I would imagine that with a small number of students in your class, that it is easy to have them all participate in the cooking project. I appears that you are making one large recipe for all, as opposed to individual servings made by each child.
ReplyDeleteDo you have suggestions for incorporating this into a classroom of 24 children. Would you pick helpers to come assist??
Hey Mrs. S! Yes, when we cook, we are making large recipes, not individual amounts of each recipe. My suggestion for a class of 24 is possibly having a center rotation for Fun Food Friday where students would rotate in to making a recipe. Another suggestion is to find another class to participate with. One of the gifted classes or the Pre-K class often participates in Fun Food Friday with us. It's more students, but also more hands to help :) I hope this helps! I'm so excited you're going to start cooking again!
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