Shopping!

We kicked off the new year with our shopping unit. We decided to cook soup and created our own shopping list. Following this we went on our entry-point trip to the grocery store, where we explored the different sections in the shop and bought all the ingredients. Then, it was time to make our cauliflower-bell pepper soup. The children were excited and happy to cut up all the vegetables themselves. After some cooking and mixing, we all enjoyed the soup, and everyone wanted to take the leftovers home. This week, we also started playing in our pretend store, taking on the roles of shopkeepers and customers.

In the second week, we delved into the market, discovering that it resembled a store but was located outside with many stalls. We explored markets from different countries, finding many similarities and some differences. This week, we also experimented with using a weighing scale and learned words like "heavier," "lighter," and "even." Balancing different groceries with blocks was fun and a great way to practice counting. On Friday, we went on a trip to a real market in Ghent. Using all our senses, we observed the stalls and noticed that the fish stall, in particular, had a strong smell. Here, we bought dried pineapple and mango to try back at school—a delightful treat after such a wonderful trip!

In the third week, we moved on to a different kind of store—the bakery. Our class transformed into a bakery. We made salt dough by following a recipe and created our own bread and pastries. When they were finished, we put them in the oven to bake and painted them in appropriate colours. We also played a game, helping the baker fit pastries into boxes—a fun way to practice spatial awareness. We ended the week with a waffle writing dance and then went on a trip to the bakery. We had the chance to go behind the counter, look at the bread cutting machine and the big oven. Additionally, we bought a cake and enjoyed it together with the UPP.

During the fourth week, we learnt about second-hand stores and learned how to reuse, reduce, and recycle. We began the week by weaving our own reusable shopping bags. Initially, this was a little difficult, but the children proved to be very resilient, and made beautiful bags. On Tuesday, we visited a real second-hand store and donated items we no longer use.  We also chose a toy to buy to reuse in our classroom—a coffee machine for the pretend area. Later that week, we saved some plastic bottles and milk cartons from our recycle bins and gave them a new purpose by making bracelets and wallets. We used these wallets during our exit point, buying treats at the snack shop set up by upper pre-primary and lower primary.

The fifth week was all about money. We took a closer look at the different kinds of prints on bills and coins. Everyone brought in different currencies to observe. We also created our own bills and made rubbings of the coins we liked. We played a currency memory game, matching numbers on bills and coins.                                                       On Wednesday, we reviewed all the letter sounds we have learned so far by sorting different objects according to their first initial sounds. A fun, learning activity the children enjoyed. We ended this week in Carnival spirit! On Friday we came to school dressed up in costumes of our choice and celebrated  with the whole school during the carnival parade.

Happy holidays everyone!