Each week in my special education classroom we do cooking and craft extension activities related to our thematic unit. We have had a lot of fun over the years with all of our different projects!
I have found that incorporating cooking activities into my special education classroom offers a hands-on approach to teaching essential skills including:
- Fine and gross motor skills: Measuring, stirring, and pouring enhance coordination.
- Sequencing and following directions: Step-by-step instructions promote executive functioning.
- Sensory exploration: Engaging multiple senses aids in sensory integration.
Communication and social interaction: Collaborative cooking fosters teamwork and language skills.
I love being able to practice all of these skills and more with my students each week in such an engaging way!
You can also use cooking in your classroom to teach essential skills and reinforce thematic lessons. Let me help you get started. This post contains affiliate links and I will be comprensated if you make a purchase after clicking my links. I only recommend products that I use and love.
Planning
My paraprofessionals are in charge of planning our thematic cooking and craft activities each week. This gives me an awesome opportunity to be on "the other side of the table" assisting students and seeing how they all do with group activities without the stress of managing the group as a whole. I love switching it up like this and giving my paras something special that they enjoy coordinating each week.
Each week during our classroom team planning time, we brainstorm ideas based on the theme. Some favorites include:
- Green Eggs and Ham during our Dr. Seuss theme
- Marshmallow Driedels during our Holiday Traditions theme
Visual Recipes
Each week, we use a visual recipe for students to follow along. On the front, are icons for all of the ingredients and supplies. On the back, are picture-supported directions for each step of the recipe. I use simple, concise instructions to make it easy for my students to understand.
Head Chef Classroom Job
Each week I choose students to be the Head Chef and Head Artist who will assist my paras during the group. These two jobs are hands-down the class favorites. I think it is basically because they get to do so many of the "teacher" jobs (passing out supplies, modeling the activity, calling on students) and sit in the coveted "teacher" chair at the kidney table. It is also helpful to have a student in this lead role because they can model each step of the visual recipes for classmates which adds another layer of support for those who need it.
Each Monday, we go over who gets to do the head jobs. I like talking about it on Monday because it give the kids something to look forward to and for those kids that need the extra behavior motivation it helps also. I place the students' names under these cute signs (click the link below the picture to print!)
Head Jobs Signs |