October 10

This pass Monday I observed a cooking activity. It was outside play, but the teacher asked the children if they wanted to go inside with the teacher assistant to make pancakes. Only six girls out of fourteen children went inside, to do the cooking experiment. The teacher assistant had the table set up with all the ingredients and materials they needed to make pancakes. The material she had where a big dip bowl to mix all the ingredients, a small bowl, a mixing spoon, a spatchula, measuring cups, a pitcher with water. The ingredients she had out were pancake mix, water in the pitcher and a bottle of vanilla flavor. As the girls went inside the classroom they all went to the bathroom and washed their hands. Once they washed their hands, they sat on the table. Except one girls didn't sit down, she stood aside from the table. The teacher encourage her to sit down but the girl refused to. She wanted to see from far away she said. As they started to make the pancake mix, the teacher introduced all the ingredients to the girls. Then, step by step they poured the ingredients into the big bowl. First, they pored the pancake mix into the big bowl.Two girls help measured it and poured into the big bowl. Next, the other three girls poured water into the big bowl. Third, the teacher poured a little vanilla for the flavor, with out measuring the vanilla. She also allowed each of the girls to smelled it. Then, the teacher mix the ingredients until it was mix completely. After she mix the ingredients one girl at a time took turns and help mix, except the girl who stand on the side. Once the pancake mix was ready, the teacher put the dirty materials aside. Then she brought out the electric griddle and put towels around it to prevent any child getting burn, that's what she told the girls. Once the griddle was hot she sprayed cooking spray. Then, with a measuring cup she poured pancake mix onto the griddle. She did five or six pancakes at a time. While the pancakes cooked the teacher ask the girls open ended questions. Some of the questions were; how many pancake are here?what color are they now? How does it smelled? As they talked about the pancakes, the teacher flip the pancakes. As they talked the girl remember how their mom made pancakes. Some of the girls said their moms put milk instead of water. Others said their mom made bigger pancakes. Once they were cook the teacher placed the pancakes into three bowls. They cook about twenty pancakes. Finally, that's what all the children ate for snack. To further the learning on this experiment, the next day I would talk about the cooking experiment. I would set up the table with playdough with rollers, spoons, spatchula, plates. As the children play with it I would asked them open-ended questions about the cooking experiment. I would asked them what ingredients we use to make pancakes? How do we make them? What ingredients goes first, second and third? How do we make pancakes? And many more question.