Inspiration
Ohio Kindergarten Teachers Use Oreo Cookies to Teach Kids STEM
The night sky and Oreo cookies – what a combination!
Kindergarten teachers of Grant Elementary School in Lakewood, Ohio, are doing everything to connect with their pupils and also keep them learning in a positive manner.
Home-visiting their students isn't the only thing these teachers are up to, they go online, instruct the children on group video calls and then end the lessons with assignments to be completed on the school app. “As kindergarten teachers, we like to take every opportunity to let kiddos learn in creative ways, even when they are learning from home,” said another teacher, Tessa Lynch.
While talking to cleveland.com, Lynch said, “We’ve been studying changes in the night sky, and decided to incorporate a quick STEM activity to review the phases of the moon that we have learned. Each student was given two Oreo cookies — just in case one broke — and a popsicle stick.”
The teacher instructed students to remove the creme in the middle of the Oreo with the sticks to create a half and a crescent moon shape. They finished with removing the cream from the cookie entirely which revealed a new moon.
This way of hands-on learning was enjoyable for not just children but their parents and teachers too. “We enjoyed having a fun, hands-on activity with the whole class, I think it’s fun for them to work on stuff like that together, yet apart,” said one of the parents.
The whole learning experience was coupled with more entertainment when one of the students started eating the cookie! “Ah, yes, one kid in Ms. Lynch’s class was starting to bite into the cookie instead of making a half-moon, that was pretty funny,” Kennedy said.
These kindergarten teachers are reminding the world that though kindergarten students are way younger and it may be thought that education is not so necessary in their age, they are equally vulnerable to the repercussions of a year break. They show us why their learning should be given equal importance.