PBL: Build Your Own Home! Day 3
Date: 22nd July, 2022; Friday.
Facilitators: Priyanka, Auindrilla, Sonai, Sanmoyee, Anupriya and Abhinanda.
Participants: Arthlings of Arth Hours.
Tags: Pretend and play, role play, sensory exploration, understanding our surroundings, PBL.
Welcome to the 3rd and final instalment of our ‘Build Your Own Home’ PBL series! On Day 2, our Arthlings began planning their own house party! They sent out invitations to invite their esteemed guests, and planned their own decorations! One very important piece of the puzzle was still missing though… Food!
Read on to discover how our Arthlings designed their very own menus, went grocery shopping, and made their own party food!
PLANNING AND SETUP
The plan was divided into the following steps:
Designing a Menu: Menu worksheets were provided to the children, with plenty of writing materials.
Grocery Shopping: Shopping list worksheets were provided for the children to plan their grocery shopping. Three stalls were set up; one with make-believe fruits and vegetables, one with grains and pulses, and one with water, food colouring and bottles for beverages. Trays were made available to the children to carry their groceries.
Cooking: Bowls were supplied to the children to mix and create their party food.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Our facilitators began by asking the Arthlings a thought-provoking question: What makes a party? After invitations, decorations, and people, the natural next step was… Food! Our Arthlings excitedly began planning their menus. Shivansh wanted chowmein! Vaanya began by inspecting the pictures on her worksheet. She spotted a burger… pancakes… fries… and cake… The Arthlings decided they wanted EVERYTHING!
Shanaaya deciding the menu.
Arthlings circling the food items they would want in their menu.
Arthlings sitting with the facilitators to decide their full-course menu.
Then the puzzle: What ingredients would be needed to cook the menus? Out came the shopping lists! There too, our Arthlings decided they wanted EVERYTHING!
Shivansh showing the lines he made to represent ‘chowmein’.
Time to create our shopping list!
Arthlings writing the ingredients they would need for their dishes.
A busy market materialized out of thin air! Bargaining and negotiations took place at the fruit and vegetable counter. At the beverage counter, Auindrilla Didi showed the children a magic trick! She added a few drops of food colouring to her bottle, shook it and… poof! It turned into juice! Inspired by this, the children began to demonstrate their skills in mixology. Cherry, orange, apple and a host of other flavours were synthesized. Sharlav combined purple and green to make ‘magic juice’. Arthlings handed their beverages over to Auindrilla Didi to store in the ‘fridge’.
Shivannyaa making her desired drink for her party.
The various tools available for the Arthlings to explore!
Arthlings with Auindrilla didi to choose the ingredients for their mix.
The children arrived at the grain counter and decided that cooking could wait no longer… The stall was instantly converted into a kitchen! Rishit mixed his ingredients together to make enough food for an army! Sharlav combined his magic juice with grains to make a magic porridge. Auindrilla Didi inspired several Arthlings to make beautiful fairy cupcakes! Each Arthling posed with their food creation so Samir Bhaiya could take a photograph.
The grain store in action!
Rishit looks busy making his dish.
Shivanyaa using different grains to create her dish.
Sharlav creating his ‘magic juice’.
Hazzel posing for Samir bhaiya to have her dish’ picture taken.
Ayansh had a smile on his face while showing his creation!
Rishit with his dish!
Shivansh and Auindrilla Didi with their dishes.
Vaanya with her drink and dish in a bottle!
OUTCOME AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Our Arthlings created their own delicious endings for the ‘Build Your Own Home’ PBL series! They rediscovered their love for sensory exploration in their dream kitchens, which they used as a canvas for their creativity.
The idea of 'home' is largely abstract. In the course of this project, our children explored this idea and gave it a material shape and form through construction, art and writing. Our Arthlings learned that although the idea of 'home' related to all of them, it was also unique to each of them.
Stay tuned as our Arthlings embark on more such wonderful explorations of the everyday!