Cooking with Kids!

This week's recipe was a Banana Strawberry Smoothie. This recipe from Kids Cooking was used.

 

Here is how we utilized it in our class:

The schedule for the remainder of the day was displayed and explained (cooking is once a week...its different from our normal schedule, there is anxiety even if it is fun)

1. We talked about the ingredients and supplies needed. Identified the blender, talked about the noise it makes and so on. (had the sound reduction ear muffs ready)

2. There is an excellent reader who likes to read recipes. The group has been practicing "Show me listening" and this was a perfect time to put it into practice. The reader read over the recipe, everyone else listened. Sounds simple, but it took a lot of lessons to actually perform it accurately. Yea!

3. Sliced the bananas with plastic butter knives. Everyone enjoyed this with the exception of the sensory sensitive guy but he made himself do it, making an "ewww" face the whole time. Students took turns sliding their slices in the blender container.

4. Frozen strawberries were thawed before the lesson. The students sliced and put into container.

5. Up until now, everyone had something to slice and put into the container. Now we had to take turns- measuring the yogurt and milk. Getting to pour them into the container. Some students were fine with it, they knew their turn was coming, others had a specific thing they wanted to do and if it wasn't their turn...oh well.

6. At last it was time to turn on the noisy machine, everyone put on their ear muffs.

7. Smoothies were poured, crackers handed out, story brought up on the Promethean board. (have I mentioned how awesome tumblebooks.com is??)

Sadly, not everyone liked the smoothies, too healthy I think! ("Mrs. Hamand...I don't LOVE bananas and strawberries..." , in his world if he doesn't love something, he doesn't want to do it, or eat it in this case)

I am enjoying our cooking days, the kids are always engaged and everyone can be included in this one activity. There is lots to be learned and practiced within a cooking lesson!

This week we also attended the Special Olympics event, the kids had a blast. There were lots of fun things to do. I don't have many pictures to show because the students' faces are showing (and I don't have a nifty program to blur them).

The at&t sports center is a wonderful place.

The obstacle course was the favorite for many of our guys.

Until next time,

Paula