Constructing waffle houses | Kitchen Lab 4 Kids

Waffle houses – constructing challenge

Type of resource: Website

Web address https://giadzy.com/food/spin-on-a-gingerbread-house-giada/

Language: English

Description

Constructing 3D models of houses with independently baked waffles; learning how to prepare waffle dough.

Scientific concept introduced

Waffles, waffle dough, square, rectangle, baking

Creative and critical thinking

Creative thinking: imagination, understanding space dimensions

Mathematical reasoning

Mathematical thinking: measuring ingredients (understanding proportions)

Scientific thinking

Scientific thinking: observing, predicting, drawing conclusions

Learning how to learn

Learning how to learn: motivation and engagement, feelings of self-efficacy and independence

Additional

Teamwork – cooperating, sharing ideas, taking responsibility for a common task; Language competence; Fine motor skills – Using technical tools and equipment

Waffle houses – constructing challenge

Overall aims

– Developing the understanding of the process of preparing dough;
– Strengthening the feelings of self-efficacy and independence;
– Developing the skills of logical thinking;
– Developing the ability to build interpersonal relations and teamwork;
– Developing the skills of using kitchen tools and equipment;
– Supporting the ability to follow the rules of safety and hygiene.

Vocabulary – keywords should be understood

waffles, waffle dough, square, rectangle, baking

Expected learning outcomes (operational aims)

The child will be able to:
– name the ingredients necessary to prepare waffle dough;
– describe the stages of cooking waffles;
– measure the ingredients;
– construct the house using waffles;
– cooperate in a team;
– take care of order and tidiness in a workplace;
– follow the rules of safety and hygiene in a kitchen environment

STEM skills – to which the learning unit is related to

CORE STEM SKILLS

Creative thinking – imagination, understanding space dimensions

Mathematical thinking: measuring ingredients (understanding proportions).

Scientific thinking: observing, predicting, drawing conclusions.

Learning how to learn: motivation and engagement, feelings of self-efficacy and independence

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Teamwork – cooperating, sharing ideas, taking responsibility for a common task;
Language competence;
Fine motor skills – Using technical tools and equipment

Teaching methodologies/activity outline

1. Introduction:
Questions:
Do you like waffles?
What can be the shape of a waffle?
What is needed to prepare waffles at home?

2. Preparing the waffle dough:
Take the powder ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and vanilla sugar. Mix carefully all the powder ingredients in a large bowl;
Then add eggs, olive oil and milk – whip up all the ingredients with a blender to achieve the smooth dough
Warm up the waffle iron. Pour the dough on waffle iron and smooth it on the surface carefully. Bake for 3 – 3 and a half minutes.
Attention: if you do not have a waffle iron, you can bake them on a frying pan following the instruction:
https://haps.pl/Haps/7,167251,25434698,jak-zrobic-gofry-bez-gofrownicy-to-banalnie-proste-przepis.html

3. Constructing waffle houses
Version 1.
Constructing the houses following independent imagination – using the freely chosen number of waffles and tooth-sticks. Freely chosen shapes can be cut out and linked. The construction can be decorated with whipped cream, fruits or food sprinkles.

Version 2. for younger children
Following the teacher’s instruction:
– Take 4 waffles to build the walls. In one of them cut out the rectangle resembling the doors. You can also cut out the windows..
– Connect the 4 walls with tooth sticks (trying to insert tooth sticks under different angles, to make the stick more or less visible)
– Put one waffle on the top of the construction placing it horizontally and connect it to the walls with tooth sticks
– Take 2 additional waffles and place them on the top of the construction, shaping the roof with a proper angle. Make sure that the roof is stable, and connect it to the building with tooth sticks.
– Cut out two small squares from another waffle. Then cut a 45-degrees bevel from one square and the place the element on a free chosen place on the roof (it should form a chimney)
– Decorate the construction with whipped cream, fruits or sprinkles

4. Summarizing the activity:
Presenting the waffle houses, preparing the exhibition, sharing the results with others. Discussing other possibilities of creating houses from waffles (What else can be used to connect the pieces – instead of tooth sticks). After presentation – serving and eating waffles houses.

Other activities related to the topic – suggestions:
– Reading activity – using waffles to create the witch house from fairy tale „Hansel and Gretel”
– Mathematical activity: measuring waffles, weighting ingredients. Questions: How to measure 1½ glass of plain flour, 1½ teaspoon of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of sugar powder, ½ glass of olive oil? Which of these ingredients is the heaviest? What is heavier – 1 glass of milk or 1 glass of milk? etc.
– Experiments related to preparing the waffles dough – research questions:
What would happen if we did not use flour? What do we use sugar and vanilla to prepare dough? Is it possible to bake waffles without eggs?
– Constructing the highest possible tower / skyscraper with waffles

Assessment of learning

Questions:
– What have you learned today?
– What skills did you practice today?
– What was the most difficult for you? And why?

Equipment and materials to be used in learning unit (tools, ingredients etc)

waffles (squares or rectangles) – prepared in a classroom or bought in the store, tooth-sticks, knife, cutting board;

Ingredients for preparing waffle dough:
– 1½ glass of plain flour
– 1½ teaspoon of baking powder
– a pinch of salt
– 2 teaspoons of sugar powder
– 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar
– 2 eggs
– ½ glass of olive oil or melted butter
– 1⅓ glass of milk