Germany

This week we focused on culture.  My mother-in-law is from Germany and my husband loves the Black Forest Torte.  So for his birthday I make this cake for him.  This year the kids are old enough to help and we can learn a little about Germany.  We looked at a map and found Michigan then we found Germany and looked at how far apart we are.  Then I told them about the Black Forest region in Germany.  We learned that it is called Black Forest because there are so many trees that the forest is dark.  The region is known for making cuckoo clocks, which the children immediately were excited that we have one.  We even learned a few words in German.  Essen for eat and torte for cake.  We also learned various others including please and thank you.

This week was important to me because I wanted the children to learn about Germany and be able to share their knowledge with their Oma.  Also, we will be traveling to Germany this summer so they will be able to use their new knowledge to make connections when we are there. 

All of the kids wrote in their cooking journals about what they remembered about Germany.  They would like to show their Oma the journals when she comes for the party and share their knowledge. They enjoyed making the cake for their father and are very proud of it. 

In a classroom there will be a variety of cultures and for one teacher to teach all of them through cooking will be difficult.  If the students could make a recipe at home with their family then they can bring it to school and share a few facts with the class.  This gives the students the opportunity to bond with their family and present their knowledge of their culture to their friends.  They will feel proud of themselves and the class can learn about a variety of cultures. 

Listening to the children during their pretend play they are using the word essen while playing house and making dinner.  I smile to myself because they are using their knowledge they learned in the correct way.  This shows me that providing them with a hands-on experience to learn allows the information to sink in.  They remember it and use the knowledge.