COMMUNICATIVE LITERACY: FAMILY RECIPES

During the cooking project, parents are invited to share a family recipe with a small group of children. Enjoying favorite dishes brings people together and has cultural significance. In preparing the food, children acquire communicative literacy in the standard symbols involved in cooking as they follow a recipe, measure ingredients, use physical actions such as pouring and mixing and handle utensils such as spoons and spatulas. In guiding them through this process, an experienced adult introduces children to a cultural text that includes traditional cooking methods and foods that have meaning for the family.

Click the image below to view the Family Recipes video.

Naptime Pillows

For children, objects have significance and the potential
to comfort them. To help make nap time at school more
pleasant, parents are asked to make a pillow with their
child during a monthly family event. During the
interchange shown on the video, a parent and child share
the pillow that they made together. As they recall their
experience, the symbolic meaning of the pillow as an
expression of their relationship becomes apparent.

Click the image below to view the Naptime Pillows video.

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