Last week during snack time, as the PK children were enjoying their clementines, a few students had the idea to squeeze clementines into their empty glasses to try to make orange juice. This sparked a great conversation about how orange juice is made and what we would need to make it. A plan soon developed. We would need to go to the nearby market to purchase oranges, bring them back, and make the orange juice together.
To help familiarize ourselves with the fruit we would be exploring, we did some still life drawing and watercoloring of oranges on Tuesday. This required much focus and attention as children observed the shape of the oranges and placement of the bowl as they carefully formed circles on their paper. They then watercolored their drawings. This was a great example of intentional drawing as well as a fun way to practice perspective.
To help familiarize ourselves with the fruit we would be exploring, we did some still life drawing and watercoloring of oranges on Tuesday. This required much focus and attention as children observed the shape of the oranges and placement of the bowl as they carefully formed circles on their paper. They then watercolored their drawings. This was a great example of intentional drawing as well as a fun way to practice perspective.
Prior to taking our walking field trip to the market, we needed to prepare for what we would experience when we arrived. We did some research about what markets have to offer. We read the book Markets by Pamela Chanko and Samantha Berger. We learned that markets offer lots of items, such as fruits and vegetables, meats, fish, breads, and even candy! We also noticed that some markets are outside while others are indoors. One student even pointed out that if the weather is warm, a city may have an outdoor market.
On Wednesday we ventured out into the snow in search of our tropical fruit. We were surprised to see naval oranges (just the kind we were looking for) right inside the door of the market! Each student was responsible for placing three oranges into the shopping basket. As a group we counted the total to make sure that only 30 made it into the basket.
Before leaving, we decided to take a stroll around the market, to see if we could find any similarities from our research. Children were quick to point out various vegetables, fruits, and bread. When we approached the bakery, a baker named Katima, came out to talk to us about working in the bakery. We learned that she bakes all sorts of breads, cookies, cupcakes and cakes! One student asked Katima why she was wearing gloves. She explained to us the importance of handling food with clean hands. We were very thankful for Katima’s time and the knowledge she shared with us.
As we prepared to leave, each child was responsible for carrying his or her own grocery bag on the trip back to school. As we settled back in to the classroom, we began preparing for the next phase of the project.
Coming up in our next blog, we will compare various ways to make orange juice. Will one method be easier than others? Which will produce the most juice? And most importantly, which method produces the best tasting juice?
Coming up in our next blog, we will compare various ways to make orange juice. Will one method be easier than others? Which will produce the most juice? And most importantly, which method produces the best tasting juice?