Food and Technology

Date: 21/09/10

Our centre approaches children on cooking and baking once a week in their curriculum.  This week I chose my activity with children as baking a banana loaf. This was the menu for morning tea and therefore children also chose to do some baking during our activity time. Child P and B helped me to gather ingredients in the kitchen under my supervision because they felt very excited to break the eggs and using electric mixer to mix the ingredients which they told me that their mum allows using it at home.  There were all mixed age children gathered on the table to take their turns while they were watching others. I facilitated with other equipment and recipe for ingredients. 

During the process children explore using spoons, mashing banana, measuring and pouring the ingredients, counting and breaking the eggs by taking turns and using equipment such as electric hand mixer and spoons to mix all the ingredients. I guide and helped them to hold the electric hand mixer.  Children followed the recipe for developing and understanding the process of baking. Te Whaariki states that, “Children develop confidence that they can participate and take risks without fear of harm” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.52). Therefore, “educators in early childhood are to scaffold children’s learning in this area we need to broaden our understanding of technology and continue to extend or knowledge and skills” (Smorti, 1999, p.5). 

While children were taking their turns to mix the ingredients I noticed that they are exploring the equipment and enjoying with their peers by having communication for example, child B said “watch every one I’m breaking the egg.” Child S said “Oh I know how to break the egg. Child P said “I will mix the egg with hand mixer, My turn please” According to Te Whaariki, “children experience an environment where there are equitable opportunities for learning, irrespective of gender, ability, age ethnicity, or background; they are affirmed as individuals and are encouraged to learn with and alongside others” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.64).

Once they finished mixing the ingredients then I let them to grease the loaf tin and pour the mixer.  Again it was time for taking turns where I found that all of the children on the table wanted to take their turn to pour the mixer in baking tin, so I allowed then to take turns slowly pouring the mixer in the tin. Te Whaariki sates that, “Children develop self-help and self-care skills for eating, drinking, food preparation” (Ministry of Education 1996, p.48). In this activity I have seen children know the rules of preparing food like, no licking and no touching the mixed ingredients while pouring. This has shown that our children inherit their parents from home which is very good on showing respect towards preparing any food. I have also seen that children were actively involved in the process of baking.

We left the banana loaf in the oven to bake for 45 minutes until it was done by morning tea and it was just “Yummy” because it was the children’s effort on baking. Technology often supports many activities and it is more important process of doing rather then the product (Smorti, 1999). Through this process of baking, I believe that children learn the concept of mathematics and experienced using the technology as a hand mixer.  This activity has support each other to work as a group which will build communication and problem solving, sharing and turn taking.