RisingOaks partnered with FACS to help send children to summer camps by making lemonade and collecting donations. To get into the lemon spirit, our class worked together to bake a delicious Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf for tomorrow’s afternoon snack!
Our baking adventure began with a trip to the kitchen to gather all of our ingredients. Once we had everything we needed, we returned to the classroom and got to work. The children took turns scooping, pouring, and mixing the ingredients together. They demonstrated wonderful patience as they waited for their turns and encouraged one another throughout the process.
A class favourite was definitely cracking the eggs—we had seven eggs to add! Several children proudly shared that they had cracked eggs at home before, showing confidence and excitement as they participated.
Another highlight was squeezing the fresh lemons. As the citrus aroma filled the room, Chris asked, “Isabel, what’s that smell?” while Penny F. excitedly replied, “It smells like lemonade!” It was a wonderful opportunity to engage our senses and connect the familiar scent to our upcoming lemonade stand.
Through this hands-on experience, the children explored early math concepts by counting and measuring ingredients, strengthened their fine motor skills through pouring, squeezing, and stirring, and practised important social skills such as turn-taking, patience, and teamwork.
Next, with Geumhwa, the children had the opportunity to make a poster for our lemonade stand. Following the poster-making activity, the preschoolers enjoyed taking on different roles as they prepared for the event by creating their own lemonade stand in our classroom!
The children helped Geumhwa prepare the materials by cutting paper into small pieces to represent lemonade. After setting up the stand, they counted how many cups of lemonade they had prepared. The preschoolers took turns being servers, cashiers, and customers, practising each role through imaginative play.
During the activity, we talked about the purpose of the “Lemonade Stand” and how the money raised would help children who need support to attend summer camp. This meaningful conversation helped the children understand that their efforts can make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Throughout the dramatic play experience, the preschoolers strengthened their early math skills by counting and exchanging cups of lemonade. They also enhanced their social-emotional skills as they collaborated with their peers, communicated in their roles, took turns, and solved problems together. Most importantly, they learned that even small acts of kindness and teamwork can help support others in their community.
To wrap up our week before lemonade stand day, we explored a lemon using our senses of touch, smell, sight, and taste.
To begin, we passed the lemon around the group and invited the preschoolers to feel its peel. We noticed that the outside was smooth and firm. We then smelled the lemon and discovered that it had a light lemon scent, although it was not very strong.
Next, we wondered if we could peel the lemon. The peel was too thick to remove easily, so we decided to cut the lemon open instead. Once it was opened, Christine passed pieces around for the children to investigate. The preschoolers shared their observations and described the inside as wet and slimy.
Of course, we couldn’t explore a lemon without tasting it! Leila, Asal, and Penny F. especially enjoyed the taste and even asked for more. Tong Tong and Jayden reacted to the sour flavour by making expressive faces that showed just how sour the lemon was! We also looked carefully for seeds but did not find any in our lemon.
This experience encouraged the children to use descriptive language, make observations, compare their sensory experiences, and share their ideas with one another. Most importantly, we had lots of fun being curious and exploring a lemon together! 🍋
