Cheese? We’re all crackers about it.

Linking learning, I love it.  I have embraced the creative curriculum and co-created a rich and outstanding KS1 curriculum which links learning wherever possible, but never tenuously.   We work really hard to make sure that we hit all the national curriculum requirements in our own unique way.

 

As a child, I was the one who believed London was in the middle of the country.  This was until I discovered maps.  Paper maps.  My dad was a long distance lorry driver and so I travelled all over the country with him, in a beautiful Seddon Atkinson truck called Stray Cat, reading maps and attempting to draw my own.  My dad was nicknamed Mouse, therefore by default I became Mini Mouse.  That was my CB handle, my first foray into social networking back in 1985.  I’d warn other users of 4×4’s ahead (police cars) and of skateboards in the suicide lane (cars in the outside lane) driving too fast.  I firmly believe that children need to understand their own sense of place in the world and to understand where things happen in relation to where they are.  As an adult I have lived all over the world and I like to include map work where possible to show children that their world is bigger than they think.

After several years in Year 2, teaching “Grouping and Changing Materials” in science became in need of a shake up.  A bored teacher does not inspire her class.  Enter the cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• We recorded the locations where the cheese was produced on maps.
• We sniffed the cheese and recorded our findings in a table.
• We tasted the cheese and recorded our findings in a table.
• We made predictions about which cheese would make the best cheese on toast and why.
• We made cheese on toast with the 2 final choices of cheese (stilton wasn’t a finalist surprisingly) and compared them.
• We observed and recorded the changes to the cheese as it melted at specific times.
• We inserted photos into Textease and wrote captions describing the changes we had seen.
• We wrote information texts about cheese.
• We persuaded our parents to buy different types of cheese.
• We researched cheese makers and invited a local producer to talk to us.
• We were enthused for learning about grouping and changing materials again.

 

 

In my opinion, there isn’t much in the world that can’t be improved with a little bit of cheese.  How have you taught this concept in an engaging way?  Share your ideas in the comments below.

 

PS

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