This month in Preschool 2, the children have been talking about oranges during lunch. The educators talked with the children about what it is about oranges that they are interested in. “Orange” Iris said. “I like that they are sweet” said Nika. “They are so juicy” Marty said. The educators asked the children if they would like to try and make their own orange juice. “YES!” they shouted with excitement. The educators and children sat down together to make a list of what they would need to make their very own orange juice. The list consisted of oranges, a cutting board, knives, juicer, strainer, pitcher and cups. The educator gathered the ingredients and materials. The two tables were pushed together and the children were offered to come and join to help make orange juice if they wanted to. The children washed their hands and joined the educators at the table. Once at the table, the educator passed around the oranges for the children to feel the texture and they asked if they could smell them. Unfortunately, the juicer was unable to be used that day. “We can use our hands” Cooper said. That was a great idea and that’s just what we did! Each child was given a turn to squeeze the oranges into the pitcher. Once the oranges were all squeezed into the pitcher, the educator poured each child their very own glass of orange juice. Holding and hand squeezing the oranges strengthens the muscles in their fingers and palms, as well as developing wrist movements.This activity also allowed them to use their communication, social and fine motor skills. We are hoping to continue our interest in oranges and ask further questions such as “where do oranges grow?” and “how does an orange grow?” Finally, we’d like to learn more about the life cycle of an orange.
