Not just play

How to make lemon mint juice and what ingredients are needed became the first questions children encountered. With the experience of opening the "Huili Restaurant" last academic year, the children successfully borrowed a few lemons from the school chef. On the carpet, we eagerly watched a tutorial video on making the tasty treat, paying attention to every step and taking turns representing them on the board so we remember everything! 

When we finished studying the recipe, it was time to make the juice. The children rolled the lemons to make them softer and easier to cut in half, squeezed the lemon juice in the jug, and added sugar water. Let’s see how our friends did with this process...

First things first – cut the lemon. When cutting lemons, the children had lots to think about. How to hold the knife and how to hold the lemon safely and steadily. During the cutting process, children were constantly evaluating the risks and trying different postures to protect their hands. One cutting action involves the development of many abilities, such as muscle movement and hand-eye coordination.

What could children do if they cannot squeeze out the juice because their strength is not enough? The children began to change their strategy: Some children started to pinch the flesh with their fingers. Some children used their fingers to scoop out the flesh. Different exploration methods have increased the efficiency of lemon juice production to a new level.

Making sugar water

We faced two challenges in this part of the process -how to open the package without letting the sugar spill out, and how to judge when the sugar has dissolved? Children generally tended to tear open the package vertically. After witnessing a "snowstorm" of white sugar, their opening movements become cautious. Some only open a small hole and then slowly squeeze out the sugar. So, we demonstrated to the children the method of opening the package horizontally: lift it up, shake it, and slowly tear it. In response to the question "Has my sugar melted?" we did not directly give an answer. Instead, we inspired the children to observe. We guided them to look for small particles in the water, transparent and somewhat square-shaped. If they saw them, they needed to continue stirring and find a way to melt them.

In the end, the children successfully made lemon mint juice. They couldn't wait to "sell" their lemon mint juice to everyone in the restaurant, wanting to share this hard-won deliciousness with everyone! They actively asked, " Do you want mint lemon water? We made it!”. Their high level of enthusiasm showed how satisfied and proud they were to make drinks for the whole Nursery!

"Life is education, and education is life."    

Tao Xingzhi Famous Educator

For children, making food is not only an experience of learning a life skill, but also a process in  various abilities such as movement, emotion, creativity, and imagination through contact with ingredients naturally develop. In addition, children can also experience the order and aesthetics of labor, and can experience the sense of achievement and pride of obtaining food through their own hard work.

Mr. Tao Xingzhi once said, "We must have knowledge rooted in our own experience, so that we can connect with other similar experiences of others". If a child has no experience with something, it is difficult for them to understand or apply other relevant experiences to solve problems. At Huili Nursery Nantong, we seize every detail of life and help children gain meaningful education. We facilitate children to gradually enter this wonderful world through their own real feelings and experiences.

If you would like to learn more about Huili Nursery Nantong, please get in touch with us using the links below. Our Co-Heads of Lower School would be delighted to welcome your family to the Nursery for a Day Pass experience so your child can participate in our wonderful learning opportunities with current Nursery pupils.