Rattle Those Pots and Pans: Classroom Cooking Activities Incorporating Technology and Literacy

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Rattle Those Pots and PansClassroom Cooking
Activities Incorporating Technology and Literacy

• Holly Cooper, Ph.D. Pat Van Geem
• hollycooper_at_tsbvi.edu patvangeem_at_tsbvi.edu
• Outreach Assistive Technology Consultants
• Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is a motivating activity for many people.
  Cooking provides experiences with
• Aromas
• Colors
• Textures
• Shapes
• Temperatures
• Weights

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is
• A pleasant way to spend time with others or alone
• A channel for activity stirring, pouring,
  cleaning up

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Students who do not like to eat may enjoy food
  preparation and tasting
• Students who are tube fed can experience food in
  a fun, non-threatening way

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is age appropriate for a variety of
  students
• Very young children can pour, stir, spread,
  taste, touch and smell

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is beneficial for elementary school
  students
• They can cook simple meals or special treats for
  an instructional activity

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is beneficial for secondary aged students
  who can
• Participate in home economics in an inclusion
  setting
• Participate in vocational or life skills training

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is a good activity in which to use
  technology
• Almost any student can participate with support

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is a good activity in which to use media
  modifications for
• Print readers
• Braille readers
• Tactile symbol users
• Picture symbol users

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is a good way to teach communication
  skills in a functional context
• Requesting
• Responding
• Turn taking
• Responding to novel situations or surprises

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is a good way to include peers as a
  helper or as a participant

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is a good way to teach academic skills in
  a functional context
• Reading
• Math
• Science
• Geography

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is a crucial part of the Expanded Core
  Curriculum
• See the RECC at http//www.tsbvi.edu/recc/index.ht
  m

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Benefits of cooking activities

• Cooking is a multi-sensory activity that can
  address a variety of learning domains
• (See infused skills checklist)

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Getting Ready

• Find a good location in the room or school
• In a kitchen or kitchen area
• Near a water source
• Near a power source
• In a location where snacks or meals are served

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Getting Ready

• Suggested tools if you dont have a kitchen (any
  or all)
• Small fridge
• Microwave
• Blender
• Toaster oven
• Hot plate
• Hot pot or rice cooker

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Planning the Activity

• What tools and appliances will be used?
• Make sure you have everything assembled
• Or plan for where the students must go to get
  them in natural but accessible locations

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Planning the Activity

• Plan with the students
• Choose the food or recipe together
• Talk about the ingredients, review vocabulary and
  sight words
• Talk about what tools ingredients will be used,
  and where you find them

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Planning the Activity

• What modifications are needed? Prepare
• Photographs
• Braille
• Print
• Tactile symbols
• Communication overlays
• Recipes

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Planning the Activity

• Shopping Can this become part of the activity?
• Make grocery lists
• Plan for transportation
• Count money
• Look for advertisements (prices)

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Planning the Activity

• Money
• Donations of money or ingredients from parents
• Sell your product to raise money popcorn,
  cookies, dog biscuits

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Doing It

• Wash hands and food surfaces
• Beware of the good fairy syndrome
• Minimize prompting
• Maximize communication opportunities
• Clean up is part of the activity

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Reviewing It

• Talk about the activity afterwards
• Conversations help review the spoken or signed
  vocabulary
• Write an Experience Story, it helps review print,
  braille or tactile symbols

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Reviewing It

• Experience story
• Collect artifacts during the activity photos,
  packages, etc
• Talk about the steps involved in fixing the food
• Talk about who did which steps
• Talk about who liked the taste
• Write it in accessible format
• Share it with peers, parents

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Alternative Food Experiences

• For students who are tube fed, have trouble
  eating or find food aversive
• Encourage these students to touch, smell and
  taste (if allowed)
• Guide students gently to put their hands in
  doughs or batters

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Alternative Food Experiences

• For students who are tube fed, have trouble
  eating or find food aversive
• Make smoothies using yogurt, ice cream or fruit
  juice as a base
• Experiment with frozen treats
• Make healthy sweet snacks such as apple sauce
• Avoid temperature extremes (except some students
  love ice cream and frozen treats)

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• Repetition is not only O.K. its good educational
  programming
• Cook often and have fun!

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The end