Returning to Nature – Sculpting a New Future

Imagine being passed a lump of clay – and being told to just make something… anything at all.

You might just stare at it with dismay or panic. How do you sculpt clay? Where do you start? Should you use just your hands, or use tools? With no outcome and no rules or guidelines to follow the possibilities are endless.

In some ways, the current situation we are finding ourselves in at the moment could be likened to being handed a piece of clay. With the prospect of lockdown measures being lifted on the horizon, educators all over the country are now thinking about how to best ‘re-sculpt’ the educational experience for our children. This could be met with some trepidation and concern with no real understanding of how long the pandemic is to last and what kind of effects the lockdown will be having on both child and adult mental health.

It is my hope that – just as clay is sourced from the ground – that we return to the earth and nature to help us re-sculpt and adjust our educational model for our young people.

It has been noted that Scotland are viewing outdoor learning as precisely the way forward for early years and schools. Scotland’s children’s minister, Maree Todd, said: “There are a growing number of fully and partially outdoor childcare settings in Scotland. This model could have many benefits for maintaining physical distancing and minimising risk of transmission as part of the transition from lockdown back into early learning and childcare and school. While specialist outdoor nurseries are well attuned to the needs of children spending all day outdoors, other establishments are considering how to adapt their practice to enable more time to be spent in gardens and playgrounds.”

Forest School is an initiative well known in the UK and is one form of outdoor learning, centred around ‘learning by doing’ to nurture pupils’ curiosity. This has been adopted across schools with innovative outdoor learning activities being designed for many different subjects.

Transitioning to a more outdoor focus could potentially help in different ways –

Social Distancing and Safety

Being outside will help teachers ensure there can be as much social distancing between the students as possible and therefore lowers the risk of transferring the virus. When you’ve got the natural world at your fingertips, you don’t need as many toys and resources, which means fewer surfaces where the virus can be passed on.

Mental Wellbeing

Outdoor classes will help keep children engaged and happy during a time where there may be rising levels of anxiety and increased stress on mental wellbeing. Indeed, at times like these it is important to shift the focus away from academic achievement and onto the students’ mental health. It is a well-known fact that being outdoors and immersed in nature has a beneficial effect on both mental and physical health in all kinds of wonderful ways (see here for more research and information – https://www.ltl.org.uk/health-and-wellbeing/)

Increased Imagination and Creativity

Einstein once said – “Imagination is more important than knowledge, knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world” Creativity, in its most natural state, is all about freedom. When children are given the freedom to be creative without the restrictions of structured activities, they experience growth that just cannot be replicated.

The question now needing to be addressed if such an approach was to be taken is how to cater for such provisions across the nation. Especially for those settings in urban environments where close natural places are harder to locate and utilise. The city council of Glasgow are considering how use the city’s many magnificent public parks as a base for outdoor nursery shifts, alongside the possibility of registering unused outdoor space close to existing nurseries, and rewilding them on a small scale.

Now is the time to allow our imaginations to run wild and begin re-creating new possibilities and options for the future…

Hannah x

 

The UNCRC in a Global Pandemic  

Some advice for Early Years Educators on upholding the articles whilst the children are at home.

On April 15th, the UN stated ‘Children are not the face of this pandemic, but they risk being among its biggest victims.’ (Source https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2020/may/a-child-rights-crisis). I also discovered this article which highlights some of the challenges that our own children are facing right now.  

 https://downloads.unicef.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Unicef-UK-Children-In-Lockdown-Coronavirus-Impacts-Snapshot.pdf?_ga=2.133395918.1515075082.1589189087-696395562.1534518220 

 I found this statement, and the report, powerful and sobering. I felt a sudden responsibility, not only in my professional role, but also in my role as a citizen, to explore how we could all work collaboratively to ensure that all children were receiving the rights to which they are entitled.  

Some of you were on your rights respecting schools’ journey, or had already received some level of the award, and there is no reason that this good work cannot be carried on during this period of lockdown. With the UNCRC due to be implemented into Scottish law, it is the responsibility of us as practitioners to ensure that the children in our care are receiving these rights. This may seem like it has nothing to do with us in the current climate, with the vast majority of children out of settings in their own homes, but there are things we can to do support parents if we think a little bit creatively.  

We can begin by refreshing our memories of what the articles of the convention are – statements that may have been familiar to us on the walls of our settings, but we may not be seeing them every day at the moment.  

https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/content/dam/global/reports/uncrc-child-friendly-version1.pdf 

Reading the articles I realised that never before has the UNCRC been more pertinent than in this global pandemic. Compared with many countries across the world, the majority of our children, on the whole, have had their rights pretty well met – for example the right to free, high quality education for all and access to benefits that can assist in enabling carers to meet the children’s most basic needs of food and shelter. But suddenly there are many more families who are affected by the pandemic, that may find themselves far less able to fully provide some of these rights.  

I am going to be focusing on a few of the articles below, which have struck me as relevant, but I would be so interested to hear about which articles you have worked on in your settings and they ways in which you have implemented them remotely.  

Alongside the UNCRC, we must consider Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and be mindful that some children are further down the pyramid due to lockdown than they were pre lockdown. Those basic needs at the bottom are the ones that need to be met first in order for all of the others to happen. There have been heart warming examples of volunteers from settings creating stalls in community areas with resource banks of basic things to help their children.

• The Right to and Education/The Right to Play – Articles 28 and 31  

With school closed for most children, much of the implementation of the child’s education is down to the parent/carers. Many parents are juggling this education with childcare and working from home and are becoming burnt out. (Most) parents aren’t trained teachers or Early Years Practitioners, and they shouldn’t be expected to be. When setting home tasks for the children, please also be mindful of parental mental health. Children need resilient adults around them to model how to calmly deal with difficult situations. Why not offer some nice, relaxing ideas that families can enjoy together? I offered some examples in my previous blog (https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ea/tapteamwebsitemain2019/2020/04/22/wednesday-22nd-april-childrens-and-parents-mental-health-in-lockdown/). If someone in your setting has been trained in implementing peer massage, why not share some of these techniques that families can do with each other? Try to minimise activities that require lots of resources or set up. Parents may not have the resources available and this may cause feelings of inadequacy when they see other families on social media.    

One of the best ways for young children to learn is through play. Children are in a fully engaged state of mind when the motivation comes from within them. My colleague wrote a wonderful piece about joining in with our children’s play.  

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ea/tapteamwebsitemain2019/2020/04/20/monday-20th-april-joining-in-with-our-childrens-play/ 

You can also encourage busy parents to involve their children in their household chores – merging learning and jobs that need to be done. My colleague wrote a piece on this here.  

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ea/tapteamwebsitemain2019/2020/05/12/tuesday-12th-may-supporting-children-to-develop-responsibility/ 

Below are some pictures of real-life examples of learning – where the adult simply observed and joined in with the play of the children – there was no set up of resources, and nothing bought in especially.  

• The right to good health – including mental health – Article 24 

Physical health is at the forefront of our lives at the moment. Parents and professionals are rightly emphasising the importance of good hygiene to protect ourselves and those around us. We must also consider balancing this with our children’s mental health. Whilst we want children to have an awareness of the importance of good hygiene, we do not want that to be at the detriment of their mental health. There are some fantastic resources created by professionals out there, which help to make children aware in a reassuring way and this website have collated some of those.  

https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/kids/supporting-children-and-young-people-during-covid-19/ 

 Some children may be suffering with their self confidence at this time. Parents may have been in a very different educational system when they were children themselves, and lack confidence working with a new curriculum which seems alien to them. Reiterate the importance of play and HWB. A lot of parents are aware of the importance of Literacy and Numeracy, but do emphasise that in order to learn, children need to have their wellbeing needs met (Remember Maslow!) I found this lovely book that can be shared (there is a video reading of it so the physical book is not needed) and it is a lovely way for families to value their individual strengths.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeUIm7BVLA0  

I thought that this – https://covid19.nhsgrampian.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COVID-19-Resource-pack-For-Parents.pdf is a lovely resource from a parental point of view. It was created by CAMHS professionals and helps adults to help their own mental health so that they can help that of their children.  

• The right to having their voices heard and Freedom of expression  – Articles 12 and 13 

The book You Choose (Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodheart https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Choose-Pippa-Goodhart/dp/0552547085)  is a wonderful way to bring to life articles 12 and 13 of the UNCRC. It epitomises children’s choice and agency and is one of my favourite books that I think lends itself well to the UNCRC. It was included in the Bookbug packs for a period of time, so many households may have it already and I have certainly seen it used in many settings. Maybe as a setting you could create some learning experiences around this book if it is available or around this idea? There are some examples on the site below.  

https://eyfs.info/articles.html/general/using-you-choose-by-pippa-goodhart-and-nick-sharratt-as-a-focus-for-activities-r34/ 

Gently reiterate to parents the importance of hearing children’s thoughts and feelings at this time. This may not always be apparent if parents are so focused on the protection rights of their children in difficult times (Article 3) You could suggest that they begin a diary of thoughts and feelings which they may (or may not) choose to share with you – this could help transitions when the time comes to return.  

UNICEF state that “Children themselves show remarkable resilience, creativity and adaptability, yet they are rarely consulted on decisions that affect their lives directly, especially in a crisis. Young people from all backgrounds should have the opportunity to influence the decisions made during this time to ensure they reflect their best interests” When it comes to designing the recovery curriculum, it is our responsibility as practitioners to find a way to meaningfully consult with the children in our care to best meet their needs. Maybe we could all start a conversation about how we are going to achieve this in our settings?  

• The Right to being with Friends – Article 15  

During lockdown this right is particularly hard to implement as children and adults are restricted from meeting friends and family. During our daily exercise, we cycled past friend’s houses, texting them when we were outside and holding up notes. That smile and wave from a friend was enough to lift spirits. If accessible, technology is also a good way to stay in contact though be mindful of your child’s reaction to this. My own is very sceptical and anxious about using video conferencing. You could pre-record messages or send pictures or written letters if that is the case. See if you can think of some ways that the children in your setting may be able to connect with their friends if they choose to.  

• The right to privacy – Article 16  

With whole households suddenly at home, space can be limited and children could be missing out on their right to privacy with nowhere to go. Worried parents could understandably be wanting to probe more into the lives of their children. Suggest that older children could maybe have a lockable notebook where they can record their thoughts in any way they want, encourage space and alone time throughout the day and be mindful with sharing learning online – make the adults aware of this right and ensure that they seek permission before they share any photographs online. Maybe as a setting, you could have a discussion about how families are sharing their learning and how private it is whilst still bearing in mind the right of the parents to make the right decisions based on their own child? 

• The right to media and protection from media  

There is so much negative media at the moment around Covid-19 and however much we shield children from actually consuming this media, they will pick up on the general mood and tone of adults in anxious times. There are various resources which explain current affairs in a reassuring and child friendly manner and some have been recommended above.   

Share the message that too much media can be damaging, not just for the child’s mental health but that of the adult too. Reinforce the message to “switch off” at points during the day. Promote non screen activities such as: Reading books together, taking advantage of the weather and ability to go for walks outside of the home, put on some music and have a family dance party.  

I hope that you have found my collection of ideas interesting. I am sure that you will have many of your own ideas for supporting the UNCRC in these uncertain times and I would really like to hear about them! 

Emma x  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday 18th May

I have lots of cousins by lots I mean there are 14 of us and as children we often hung out together at my Grandma’s house. One of our favourite things to do was create shows precariously balancing on my Grandma’s windowsill we would jump down from behind the curtains and burst into song or tell a joke. We would often gather sheets and dressing gowns, throws and adults jackets to make costumes for our stage shows and we had the time of our lives.

We also invented a game called ‘Spook a Look’ and in this game one of us would be the ghost and everyone else hid – the ‘ghost’ would make spooky noises and search the house and if the ghost found you then you became a zombie and had to help the ghost find the others. The last one found was the winner.

Another thing we did was make dens – using the same sheets and throws and jackets we’d drape them over chairs and tables and create dens or as my big brother called his ‘a base’ – here we made a battle ground, a secret hideaway, a cave to name a few.

We didn’t have loads of toys and there was no sign of a computer to entertain us but my childhood memories of this are all amazing and the memories created are fantastic. Basically using our imagination and things we could find around about us we invented some great games.

So what have you got lying around to entertain you?

Imaginative play ideas to try with your children.

While the imaginative play ideas below can help you kick off some amazing games of pretend with your kids, it’s important to avoid imposing your own idea of what the game should be on them. If your kids say the rug you bought for an imaginary picnic is a patch of deadly quicksand, go with it – and start looking for a branch to pull them out!

· Invent a game decide on a few rules and try it out – e.g. Spook-a-look.

· Put on a performance. It’s the ultimate improv exercise: using whatever props you have to hand (sheets, throws, jackets, puppets, dolls, action figures, hairbrushes, boxes can all help), act out a play/song with your child.

· Cook an imaginary meal. Children love to act out the ordinary things their parents do. Help your little one get into the role of future chef by laying out cooking equipment, “ingredients”, or even a drawn-out hob for them to play with. Let them serve you up a meal, and prepare to pretend that mud pie is your favourite.

· Throw picnics and tea parties. Bad weather outside? No problem. Set up your own indoor picnic with a picnic rug, your child’s favourite toys and a few kitchen-related props. Remember: pinkies up at all times, and never fail to ask whether Teddy would like more tea or cake. Etiquette matters.

· Play super heroes. Don a cape or choose an action figure and embark on the greatest fight between good and evil that the world has ever seen. It’s even more fun if you play the villain and let your child defeat you. Perfect your “I’m meeeellllltiiiing” speech, and remember that you would have gotten away with it, too – if it weren’t for those pesky kids . . .

· Turn a box into . . . anything. One of the best things about imaginative play is that you don’t need any special props to do it. For example, an ordinary large-ish cardboard box can become a house, a car or an aeroplane. Flatten it out, and you have a desert island. Give your little one a few boxes and watch for a bit to see what they do. Jump in once they’ve decided what the game is going to be.

· Plant up a (fake) garden. They might only be cardboard cutouts of flowers and imaginary vegetable patches, but your child can still have fun watering, weeding and looking after them. All the fun of a real garden, with none of the risk.

· Build a city. Toys like Lego and building blocks can be useful props for this game. Help your little one build a metropolis, then run the town together.

· Clean the house. Ever turned around after doing a household chore, only to find a little helper copying you? Kids are often strangely fascinated by housework. The next time you’re vacuuming or mopping the floor, give your child a prop so they can follow you around the house and take part.

· Run a shop. If your child owned a shop, what would they sell? Help your child stock their shop’s cupboards, pretend to be a series of customers, and use (fake) money to buy their wares.

Ideas from https://www.persil.com/uk/dirt-is-good/real-play/what-is-imaginative-play.html

Remember, the benefits of imaginative play can extend to you too — so connect with your inner child and lose yourself in a world of imagination.

Written by Carol Munro.

Sharing the Load

Trying to juggle working from home and entertaining /teaching / keeping busy a 4 year old is a challenge in itself. Not to mention trying to keep my home organised and get the housework done. An easy option on some occasions is to allow my child to watch some TV or play on the iPad however ‘nanny iPad’ opens up a whole new world of problems and I try to limit the screen time daily.

I found myself one day trying to give my 4 year old some toys or craft activity to complete on her own while I cleaned the bathroom. This became a stop and start job from the beginning and so when my daughter said “Mummy can I help you clean the bath?” I thought “Why not!” While initially this perhaps slowed the cleaning process down in time she has become really good at certain jobs around the house and it not only helps me out with the chores but also gives my daughter some independence and feeling of responsibility.

As a result she has become really capable at setting the table and helping prepare the dinner, she loves weighing, measuring and counting out ingredients to use. She is also really skillful at vacuuming the floor (she asks for the handle to be shortened for easier hold) and she is more than competent at loading the dishwasher and putting it on (also knows to ask for help to put the cleaning tablet in). Another good skill (or maybe it’s not so good) she has developed is to regularly encourage me to clean the bathroom and kitchen – e.g. “Mummy we need to clean the bathroom – I’ll get the cloths”.

Household chores: good for children, good for the whole family.

· Household chores are not only beneficial to getting things done as children can learn a lot from doing jobs around the home.

· Taking part in household jobs helps children learn what they need to do to look after themselves, their home and family. They can learn skills that they can use in their adult lives such as cleaning, preparing meals and sorting and organising.

· Another bonus to carrying out chores with your children is that relationship, cooperation and communication skills are developed.

· When children are given the chance to contribute to chores it helps them feel competent and can appreciate the satisfaction of completing a job.

· Perhaps most importantly sharing housework can help families work better and reduce family stress. Chores done sooner, parents have less to do, which means more time to do fun things together.

· Chores help children learn responsibility and self-reliance. Assigning children regular chores helps teach them responsibility.

How to get young children involved in chores

· Initially you could give your child the job of looking after their own toys – this shows their contribution is important.

· You could let them vacuum their bedroom then maybe another room. Encouraging responsibility and importance of hygienic practice.

· You could ask them to pick up their clothes and put them on hooks or in a drawer. This promotes organisation and sorting skills.

· You could give your child the job of setting the table for dinner and /or clearing the table at the end. This again encourages responsibility and participation.

· Working together you could get children helping to prepare meals – this encourages mathematical language as you weigh / measure and count ingredients.

· Children could also help to do the dishes. Encourage good hygienic practice and responsibility.

· You could get children to help put the groceries away – this promotes organisation skills. You could also get them to look at labels to identify products. This promotes the ability to read environmental print.

· Children could hand you wet clothes to hang up or hand you the required number of pegs. Or by using a chair to stand on and if children are able they could help to peg out the washing. This is good for developing fine motor skills; strengthening fingers.

· You could ask them to sort washing into piles – whites and colours or pick out towels / sort big clothes and small clothes. This promotes sorting and matching skills.

· Children could help by watering plants indoors and in the garden. Encourages looking after plants and caring for the environment.

· You could allow children to help feed pets or clean out cages / tanks etc… This encourages caring for others and responsibility for pets.

Even if the job is not done perfectly ensure you give them encouragement and praise and help them until they can do it.

By Carol Munro.

Refs

https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/family-life/chores/chores-for-children

https://harmonylearning.com.au/why-having-responsibilities-and-helping-with-chores-is-critical-for-growth/

https://www.momentumlife.co.nz/stories/why-kids-should-have-chores

Papa’s Magic Greenhouse – Growing Fruit and Veg

Growing up I spent a lot of time with my Granny and Papa Wilson, for two reasons, one – because mum and dad were both out working to provide for my brother and I, and two – I very much enjoyed the time I spent with them. My granny usually looked after four of us, so flinging us all out the house to play in the garden was a fairly regular occurrence (she did after all need peace to knit and watch the telly!)

I loved playing in my papa’s garden. He had always been an avid gardener, and his garden was a magnificent and elaborate Eden that as young children we couldn’t help but explore. Their garden was large, so my papa had sectioned different areas off with wooden fences and trellis that was covered in greenery. This gave us a plethora of different worlds to explore! My gran and papa were quite self-sufficient in that they grew a lot of their own fruit and veg as well. In exploring the garden, you would find: a rhubarb patch, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and a variety of currants. What my cousins and I didn’t manage to forage would go into my granny’s baking (she was an extraordinary baker!) or be gifted to the neighbours.

While the garden was exceptional, my all-time favourite place in the garden was my papa’s greenhouse. Inside, you would find: potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, raspberries and the roof was covered in grapevines, where the biggest grapes I’ve ever seen grew every summer. We spent a lot of time in that greenhouse eating what we could before we were caught!

Reminiscing about this time has made me consider the importance of being self-sufficient and having access to a balanced, healthy diet, especially for young children. As most of us will be spending a lot more time at home, it seems it would be the perfect opportunity to experiment and grow some of our own fruit and veg (especially with this wonderful weather we’ve been having!) It will also give children the perfect opportunity to spend some time outdoors in the fresh air, while exploring and discovering where the food we eat comes from.

Most supermarkets will currently have seeds and plants available to buy, but some fruit and veg can be regrown at home using scraps or the pieces we tend not to eat. Here are some ideas and tips for growing your own fruit and veg at home!

Onion

1. Cut off the bottom piece of the onion that contains the roots and allow this to dry for a couple of hours.

2. Place in a pot with soil, making sure the bottom part (where the roots are) is covered. Keep your put in a sunny area.

3. Keep the soil moist until the bulb grows (this usually takes a few days!)

4. When new leaves have developed, remove from the pot, and divide the plant in two, making sure there is roots attached to both.

5. Replant in separate pots or in a bed. You have started growing two onions!

You could keep a daily log of the growth process. Get your child to document by taking a photo every day. Compare the photographs and discuss what changes have occurred!

Potato

1. Find a potato that has a ‘seed potato’ on it (we commonly call them eyes!) Cut about two inches of skin with an eye off and allow this to dry overnight.

2. Plant them around four inches deep in soil (outdoors), making sure that the eyes are facing upwards.

3. Your new potato will hopefully start to grow! This usually takes a few weeks.

You might want to plant more than one seed potato! If you grow more than one potato – are they all the same size? Shape? Have a look at them and compare!

Lettuce

1. Place the bottom part of the stalk in a bowl of water.

2. Keep it in a sunny area (a windowsill is good).

3. Sprinkle top with a little water twice a day for 4-5 days.

4. When roots and new leaves appear, plant outside in the garden.

You could observe every day and document how long it takes for the roots to appear!

Carrots/Parsnips

1. Save the tops of the carrots/parsnips and place in a jar of water.

2. New green tops will start to grow after a couple of days.

3. Let the roots grow around 2 inches before planting in the garden.

You might want to regrow more than one carrot or parsnip! Once the green tops have started sprouting, could you measure how tall they are growing? Keep a daily log of this and compare for each carrot/parsnip!

Avocado

1. Wash the seed with water.

2. Suspend the seed over a glass/jar of water (you could do this using toothpicks or straws) and only allow the bottom of the seed to touch the water.

3. Place the glass/jar in a warm dry place, but not in direct sunlight!

4. Check the water every day and top up if needed.

5. Roots and stems should appear after six weeks. Roots and stems should be kept at around 3 inches long until leaves appear.

6. Plant in garden or pot, only covering the bottom half of the seed with soil.

This one takes a lot longer than the rest! You could take a photograph once a week and compare at the end. Discuss the changes with your child.

Tomato

1. Rinse the tomato seeds with water and leave to dry.

2. Plant your seeds in soil (in a pot) and leave in a sunny area.

3. Water the soil 3-4 times a week (don’t drown the seeds!)

4. When seedlings sprout a few inches, replant in the garden.

Again, you could document this process using a daily/weekly log or camera. This would also be a good opportunity to teach your child about caring for plants and why they need water and sunlight.

Peppers

1. Collect a handful of seeds and plant them in a pot.

2. Keep the pot in a warm, sunny place and water every day.

3. Peppers will grow fast, so once seedlings are around 8 inches tall, plant them in the garden.

Tell your child when the seedlings are 8 inches tall, they will be ready to plant in the garden. Once they start to sprout, measure them every day and give your child the responsibility of deciding when they are ready to be transplanted to the garden. (You might need to remind them about how tall they should be daily!)

Apples

1. Save the seeds from a few apples (the more apples the better chance of success!)

2. Wrap the seeds in a wet paper towel and seal in a plastic bag (sandwich bag would be good).

3. Keep the bag in a cool place with little sunlight.

4. It takes around a month for apple seeds to germinate but check them every week and make sure the paper towel is still moist!

5. When sprouts begin to appear, your apples are ready for planting in the garden! Plant them 1-2 inches deep and water every day.

Ask your child why they think some plants like warm, sunny places while others like cold and dark? Discuss this and research on the internet!

I hope you enjoy growing your own food!

Blog post written by Amy W.

A Great Family Bake Off

You have probably noticed the lack of flour and eggs in many of the shops these days. It would seem that a notion for baking has swept the nation in recent weeks during lockdown. Baking is something I enjoy doing from time to time, and have done sporadically with the children. I say sporadically, because every time I try it with them, I go in with great enthusiasm and then come out the other end regretting I ever started due to arguments, control issues (I have a very bossy daughter) and the inevitable broken egg on the kitchen floor courtesy of my youngest who likes to throw things.

Last week I had noticed an abundance of ripening bananas in the kitchen and knew it was time to do something with them before they ended up in the compost. Having 3 children to home educate at the moment I’m always on the look out for fun, engaging learning opportunities… but had shied away from cooking and baking for a while. However, I know how much the children LOVE to cook and bake and I HAD to find a way to use those up those darn bananas so it made sense to have a baking day.

I’m a big fan of the bake off, and an idea came to my mind as I was thinking how I could draw out the most learning from the experience as possible (and cater for my daugher’s need to be in control). Herein was birthed the concept of a Home style ‘Great Family Bake off’.

The Challenge- To devise and create a recipe that included bananas and then bake it using their own instructions.

Task number 1 – Researching and choosing a recipe to adapt.

 

I got out all the baking cook books and the three of them looked through them until they found a recipe they liked the look of and decided if it would suit a banana adaptation.

Task 2 – Re-write the recipe with illustrations, including the way in which you will use the bananas in the recipe.

My elder two are 8 & 9, so they worked fairly independently and we talked about how to lay out a recipe with an ingredients list and method section. We also spoke about what things like – g, oz, tsp etc meant.

For my 5 year old, we worked on writing a list of ingredients, and sounding out each of the words. He also had a go at writing out 3 basic sentences of instructions on how to make it.

AP (9yrs) decided on cupcakes with a Banana Bee decoration, IP (8yrs) chose a chocolate and walnut recipe, adding in bananas (he decided 3 mashed in would be the right amount), and BP (5yrs) wanted to make a standard banana bread cake.

Task 3 – Follow their written recipes!

Amazingly, with the older two the only thing I did was help them find the right ingredients and reminded them how to use the scales. And they did the rest themselves. They loved being able to re-read their own instructions and have complete ownership over their bakes. It was really great to see their independence blooming and the pride they were taking in doing each step accurately to make sure their ‘bake’ was just right!

We even got a bit of numeracy of time in there too when they were checking how long they had to leave their cakes in and what the time would be when they had to take it out again.

BP did a great job of following his instructions and I helped him to put the right quantities and safely use the oven and utensils etc.

Task 4 – Tasting and Scoring

Amazingly, not only were they all edible… they were all totally delicious!

So we scored them all out of 10 for Taste, how it looked, and how banana-ery it tasted!

They all got great scores and were all winners!!

I would totally recommend doing a little activity like this, because it was so much fun and had LOADS of learning opportunities across the curriculum!! And best part was – we got 3 different cakes to eat at the end!!

 

By Hannah Polland.