The write start - Jennifer Hallissy 2010
Food for Thought
Guidelines for the Activities
IT’S AGE-OLD WRITING ADVICE: write what you know. And what child doesn’t know food?
Associating writing with a regular daily activity, like mealtime, is an excellent way for kids to get their writing chops. Since meals happen three times a day, every day, practice is essentially guaranteed. And although you may still insist that you’re not a short-order cook, turning the kitchen into a pretend restaurant may seem much more palatable to you when you see how it inspires your kids to write.
Aspiring restaurateurs do a bunch of writing, including:
menus
specials of the day
orders
receipts
shopping lists
recipes
open/closed signs
restroom signs
Whew. That’s a lot of writing. Good thing they will have some sustenance to keep them going while they work.
MATERIALS
∗ card stock (for menus and signs)
∗ flip-top notepad or copies of the guest check template (see “Guest Check” in the templates section)
∗ pencil
∗ markers or crayons
∗ chalkboard
∗ chalk
∗ food and kitchen gadgets (or pretend food and accessories from a play kitchen)
∗ tablecloth
∗ potholders
∗ waiter attire, apron, chef’s hat (optional)
HOW-TO
1. Help your children create menus, take orders, and write checks for real and pretend meals.
2. Show your children how to post the specials of the day on a chalkboard or by creating a sign.
3. If your children serve you something particularly delicious, encourage them to write the recipe on a recipe card. (My favorite kid concoction at the moment is sardine soup. Yum!)
Variations
For Scribblers: Scribblers love to scribble orders on a flip-top memo pad, just like they see the waiters doing at their favorite restaurant.
For Spellers: Spellers are ready to write simple menus, take orders, fill the orders in their pretend kitchen, and serve them.
For Storytellers: The rituals of fine dining really appeal to Storytellers. They love to dress the part, spread out a tablecloth, set the table, announce the specials, and serve the food with flair.
For Scholars: Scholars can write their own cookbooks, full of the best real, make-believe, or wacky recipes they have created.