Making Chili in the Leapfrog room

Introducing the children to different spices and foods

The children begin to test the items including onions, tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, cinnamon, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and chili powder.

The children tell Mahi what to do to cut the onion open. Some of the steps included, “watch your fingers but cut the ends off”, “You can’t bite into it” and “Peel the brown part off.” The children noticed the layers of the onion and the different sizes inside.

Left: Nolan (5.5) peels the onion. Right: Eamon (5.4) and Keegan (4.8) look at the onion and notice juice is coming out of it.

Left: Graham (3.3) wonders if you poke the onion if liquid comes out. Addison (3.11) predicts that if the onion has something with it that it won’t feel so hot on her tongue. After trying it plain, she tries it with a tomato. “It’s better with a tomato and an onion!”

Left: Keegan (4.8) helps Nolan (5.5) write the word bean on our chart to find out who likes what ingredient. Right: Graham (3.3) identifies several letters in the chart while waiting for his turn.

 Language and Literacy ◦ Follows Directions ◦ Uses expanding expressive vocabulary ◦ Identifies letters/names letters ◦ Writes to convey meaning  Personal and Social Development ◦ Makes connections  Science ◦ Uses scientific inquiry skills including observing, exploring, communicating discoveries of the tastes and smells

Is it a solid, liquid, or gas?

Nolan (5.5) writes the letters that Eamon (5.4) reads to him to identify the tomato sauce as a liquid. When the Kidney Beans are opened there is liquid and the kidney bean. Addison (3.11) and Eamon document it in both categories.

What differences did we notice?

 We began by adding oil into the skillet.  We added cut up onions and the children were surprised by the noise.  Drake (4.4) shares, “That is the sound of the onion cooking!”  As the onions begin to sauté, Drake shouts, “Mahi! Friends! I see a gas! It’s steam! It’s making steam!!”  Madison (4.2) shares, “I think it means it is boiling. Boiling things cooking things.”

Mahi adds the beef to the skillet. The children wonder what sound it will make. When the beef is in the skillet. Mahi asks if it should stay like that to cook. Claire (4.8) asks for the spoon. She begins to cut up the meat. “It won’t cook if you do not break it into small pieces.”

Left: Keegan (4.8) notices that steam is coming from the skillet. He puts his hand over the skillet. “It feels really hot. It doesn’t burn my hand.” Right: Mahi moves the meat around the skillet. Children identify that it is not ready to put in the crock pot. “It is still red and pink. You can’t eat it yet. You will get sick!”

 Claire (4.8) documents that the steam is a gas.  At the table, children share the following: ◦ “The lid holds the steam. When you take the lid off it comes out.” Lydia (4.4) ◦ “The steam makes a liquid on the lid!” Drake (4.4) ◦ “When you push the meat on the skillet it gets louder.” Nolan (5. 5) ◦ “When you push the meat down it gets brown.” Terryn (4.6)