What’s good on the menu today? (“Bhelpuri!” the little chefs exclaimed)
Date: May 05, 2022
Time: Small Group
Facilitators: Jasmine, Sangoli, Simran K and Simran J
Props Used
Quarter plates, big and small bowls, spoons, puffed rice, chopped vegetables and pepper were used to mark the event of ‘cooking day’ in class.
What was the activity?
It involved the arthlings wearing their chef’s hats (metaphorically, of course!) and raising a toast to their cooking skills. At first, they were given empty bowls in which some puffed rice was distributed. The next step was to mix them with some chopped vegetables and garnish them with some pepper. All through the while, they had to keep mixing the ingredients to enhance the taste. Finally, they had to eat the bhelpuri with their friends.
Why did we plan this activity?
Apart from getting a chance to savour bhelpuri in the middle of the class, this activity had a lot of learning for this age group, involving,
Fine motor & eye-hand coordination skills: These skills had a scope to develop withholding one’s plates and spoons along with mixing, squeezing and spreading the mixture of the bhelpuri in the bowl.
Cognitive abilities: Listening skills were directly enhanced since it involved following a sequence of cooking the dish and then following the directions of the facilitator, leading to cognitive skills development. Also, a lot of problem-solving and creative thinking were promoted while they cooked.
Language Development: There was a scope of language development by linking the cooking steps with other areas of study, like math, science, arts and literacy. For example, they observed the colour, textures and medium of the products used.
Social-Emotional learning: Certain healthy habits were encouraged through the activity, like, eating at a table, sharing food with friends, impulse control while mixing the ingredients, getting up only after the meal is finished, not wasting food and what not! It, therefore, promoted social-emotional learning as well since learning a new skill can uplift one’s confidence.
The Series of Steps engaged in?
There were two small tables and two-two educators placed themselves at each one. Then they arranged the ingredients in separate bowls for each little chef. On arrival to the small tables, each arthling was guided through a series of steps involved in making their very own bhelpuri. Post that, they all savoured the chaat together.
How did it go? (Finally!)
The activity involved a lot of vigour and play. Each kid took the responsibility of holding out their own plates and bowls. One by one they mixed each item in a sequence and sprinkled pepper before they filled their mouths with the bhelpuris. Mostly, everybody present participated in this activity. Ved preferred licking the pepper when sprinkled on his palms. Radhya learnt her way to hold a spoon and put food in her mouth while Taksh, Atharv Goyal, Atharv Gupta and Ratujit ate directly with their hands.