When Life Throws You LEMONS !!

When life throws you lemons .......you make as many links to the curriculum as you can !! 

 

We have had some fun this past week putting our measurement maths learning into practise through baking and making.  We have been inspired to make lemonade, lemon slice, bliss balls and muffins.  We are grateful to our village for giving us the lemons and helping us make these experiences happen.  

There’s something magical about baking with children. The smell of fresh lemonade, the feel of different ingredients, and the excitement of sharing and eating what we have made. But beyond the joy, baking offers something else just as valuable,  a rich, hands-on opportunity to develop key mathematical ideas, especially measurement.

For 6 and 7-year-olds,  measurement can be a tricky concept. That’s where the baking comes in,  a real-world, sensory experience that aligns beautifully with the NZ Refreshed Curriculum.  

At this age, children are beginning to explore and understand the world in more abstract ways. Measurement,  including length, volume, weight, and time becomes more than just using a ruler or reading a clock. It's all about making comparisons, estimating, and using standard and non-standard units to make sense of real tasks.

Baking naturally incorporates all of these skills in a context that’s familiar, fun, and engaging.

Measurement isn’t limited to maths. Baking naturally brings in:

• Science (understanding change through heat and mixing)

• Health & PE (learning about food and wellbeing)

• Technology (using tools and making food for a purpose)

• Literacy (reading and following instructions)

Here are some examples of how we made further connections in writing. 

We wrote recounts and descriptions about our process of making lemonade.  Our writing needed to have an interesting hook as an opening sentence and of course, some 'juicy' describing words to build a picture in the readers mind.  

As an extension task we used these same pieces of writing to craft poems.   These poems were made from highlighting the interesting words that could be mixed up and thrown together as a poetic piece.   This was an example of how words can be used in playful ways, not neccessarily following a simple, compound of complex 'sentence structure'. 

These hands on tasks have allowed us to make connections across learning areas, fostering curiosity and exploration through rich contexts.

We are always being encouraged to bring learning to life in ways that are meaningful and connected to students’ lives.   Baking has been a perfect vehicle for this by combining mathematical thinking, collaboration, and real-world relevance.  

So next time you're in the kitchen don't under estimate a conversation or an opportunity to practise maths or even some story telling or writing too.  

             Enjoying our yummy Lemon Slice ....