West Richmond Preschool

We had two cooking projects on the go today-kale chips and coleslaw. Before we sat at the cooking table, we had a discussion about Monday's harvest. I was curious to see if the children remembered what we had pulled from the garden. Almost all of them remembered at least one vegetable and many of the children were able to recall all of them-kale, cabbage, beets and lemon balm. Since many of our children were already familiar with kale chips and professed to like them, we decided to make them first. Next, the cabbage-many of them had never tried it before so we went with a simple coleslaw recipe- generally I prefer a short list of ingredients so we can really taste each ingredient for its beauty; in this case, especially the cabbage. We started with the kale chips. Cutting the leaves, tossing with some olive oil, sea salt and pinch of black pepper. Oh yes, and a few shakes of garlic powder. Then onto the coleslaw We cut and cut and cut some more The...

And,  Project Potato continues.... on Wednesday we investigated our Red Pontiacs. They were lovely! I wanted to introduce the children to a new recipe so I dug out my grandmother's old cookbook for a potato kugel recipe. Kugel is like a giant latke-grated potatoes, onions, oil and seasoning. Delicious when baked to golden brown. Some of the children were fascinated with grating the potatoes and worked their fingers to the bone  (thankfully, not literally). They added 2 eggs, Peeled and grated onion, Stirred, Squeezed out the excess water (this was of great interest!), Stirred some more, Added flour and spices, Spread it evenly in the baking pan (well, sort of evenly), Then baked and cut into pieces for all to try, Overall, the response was quite positive and several children had seconds and thirds. I love introducing the children to new foods or new combinations of food. Eating in a group also changes one's perception of the food. The ...

Last Friday we harvested our Russett potatoes and Red Pontiacs from the farm. We had a sensational first day at the farm and the children literally shouted out with joy at each and every potato dug out of the ground! During group time we sorted the potatoes and everyone had a guess as to how many we had of each variety. The guesses were as follows: Russett Potatoes- the range was from 8-100 The actual number was 28. Pontiac Potatoes -the range was from 6-100 million 2 hundreds (this is NOT a typo). Actual number was 53. We found it so interesting to listen to their estimates. Some children were very close to the number and yet some were so far from the actual. There is a lot to learn about how children process quantities and numbers-an inquiry for us teachers! A discussion was had about what to do with the potatoes and we voted on making the first batch into mashed potatoes. Monday: Mashed Potato Day Every single child tried them and only one child did no...

This week marks a new beginning for all of us. And, with all new beginnings, it provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the past and think about what is to come. I have been going to yoga a lot this past while and one of the things the instructors mention at the onset of each class is to create an intention for your practice.  I thought a lot about this concept and decided that it would be interesting and important to apply it to my teaching on a deeper level than in the past. So, as I move into the year, I am hoping to set intentions, which I believe are different than goals. For me personally, goals are more structured and outcome driven. Intentions imply more of a journey. Balancing intentions with flexibility and openness will be the challenge.  I also want to explore the idea of children setting their own intentions. Can this work? Will they understand? Can we help support this idea without creating comparisons or pressure? I am really not sure. And so we begin...