Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/chop-churn-chark-and-choose-cooking-with-children/5027238/
*Photos can be found in the pdf version of this article.
It was a bright sunny day and the Kindergarten class was even more active than usual. Children were enthusiastically carrying out various tasks, cheerfully discussing things amongst themselves, running to the teacher asking questions and then discussing amongst each other. This was a wonderful sight for an outsider to witness. The occasion was celebration of the Muslim festival Ramzan Eid. Children had decided to make the all-time favorite Indian evening snack, bhel.
So much good learning takes place while cooking! Children were engaged in language development, mathematical concepts like measurements, counting, one-to-one correspondence, and fractions. The activity also incorporated values like teamwork, cooperation, sharing and caring, and respect for culture.
The teacher had arranged for churumura, (puffed rice) and farsaan (a mixture of various salty snacks) and a big vessel to make the bhel. The teacher asked the children to measure the churumura and farsaan with a non-standardised unit, to understand and estimate how much was needed for a class of 30 kids. Children took turns with this measuring activity. They had great fun. Their teacher noted the amounts, on chart paper. Then both items were mixed in the big vessel. ...