Cooking with the Sweet Potatoes We Harvested
Preschool
October 19, 2017
We cooked with the sweet potatoes the children had harvested themselves.
Our menu was sweet simmered potatoes!
Kevin began by reviewing the names and uses of the ingredients and utensils. Cooking tools are familiar enough to attract children’s interest.
Some children knew what a tool was for but could not recall its name, so they used gestures to explain. Our three-year-olds still have many words to learn, but their determination to answer in English during English time was encouraging.
Next, we projected a recipe and reviewed quantities and steps together. Pictures helped make it accessible. We hoped that, as the children grew older, they would eventually read recipes and cook more independently. That was still beyond the three-year-olds, but we wanted to introduce the idea of a recipe and give them early encounters with written language.
With the recipe checked, we divided into two groups and began cooking.
Every child cut sweet potato with a teacher’s help, and they took turns measuring the seasonings. Their expressions were wonderfully serious as they measured.
Once the potatoes and seasonings were combined, they went into the microwave. Cooking lessons offer not only hands-on experience but also many opportunities to encourage language.
A teacher put the dish inside but deliberately left the door open and said, “Let’s wait!” The children quickly protested, “No, no, no!” When asked why, they called, “Close!” Other playful mistakes, such as forgetting to press the button or trying to pour from an unopened box, prompted eager explanations. Correcting the teacher encouraged children to speak up and find ways to express themselves.
When the microwave beeped, our sweet simmered potatoes were ready.
The children were so enthusiastic about seconds that they forgot our agreement to finish what was in their mouths first. Hands reached eagerly for more, and the potatoes quickly disappeared.
Even some who were not usually keen on sweet potatoes seemed to enjoy them more because they had both harvested and cooked them themselves.
Our menu was sweet simmered potatoes!
Kevin began by reviewing the names and uses of the ingredients and utensils. Cooking tools are familiar enough to attract children’s interest.
Some children knew what a tool was for but could not recall its name, so they used gestures to explain. Our three-year-olds still have many words to learn, but their determination to answer in English during English time was encouraging.
Next, we projected a recipe and reviewed quantities and steps together. Pictures helped make it accessible. We hoped that, as the children grew older, they would eventually read recipes and cook more independently. That was still beyond the three-year-olds, but we wanted to introduce the idea of a recipe and give them early encounters with written language.
With the recipe checked, we divided into two groups and began cooking.
Every child cut sweet potato with a teacher’s help, and they took turns measuring the seasonings. Their expressions were wonderfully serious as they measured.
Once the potatoes and seasonings were combined, they went into the microwave. Cooking lessons offer not only hands-on experience but also many opportunities to encourage language.
A teacher put the dish inside but deliberately left the door open and said, “Let’s wait!” The children quickly protested, “No, no, no!” When asked why, they called, “Close!” Other playful mistakes, such as forgetting to press the button or trying to pour from an unopened box, prompted eager explanations. Correcting the teacher encouraged children to speak up and find ways to express themselves.
When the microwave beeped, our sweet simmered potatoes were ready.
The children were so enthusiastic about seconds that they forgot our agreement to finish what was in their mouths first. Hands reached eagerly for more, and the potatoes quickly disappeared.
Even some who were not usually keen on sweet potatoes seemed to enjoy them more because they had both harvested and cooked them themselves.
Author Profile
-
-
Reiko - Services and Community Coordinator Japan
Reiko joined CGK’s founding team in 2016, bringing seven years of experience in licensed nursery schools in Japan and six years across two international preschools. She has also volunteered at a daycare in Canada and has held preschool leadership roles at CGK, including Principal and Vice Principal.
A qualified nursery teacher and holder of a Class 2 kindergarten teaching license in Japan, Reiko values each child’s interests and strengths. Drawing on her experience in multicultural early childhood settings, she supports an environment where children can explore new interests through hands-on experiences and express themselves in their own way.