Monday, July 13, 2009

DISC Conducts Sensory Education Class at Buiga Sunrise Pre School

Report by Rogers Serunjogi, Project Assistant and Teacher Buiga Sunrise Pre-school Banda

Buiga sunrise Pre-School is one of the most active disc project schools and role models, the children rage with age from 3 – 6years old.

The Director of studies included a sensory education class in their lesson plans as requested by the project DISC coordinator; children were introduced to some of the fruits and vegetables they grow in their school DISC garden.

After harvesting some fruits, they made up a sensory education class including taste and smell lesson where students were given plastic cups covered with paper and then fruits in side to find out the smell of the fruit in a particular plastic cup.

How it was made….

Materials

· Fruits in variety

· Small plastic cups

· Paper

· Rubber bands

· And a sharp pencil

· Knife

Procedure followed

  • Fruits were cut in small pieces before students are introduced to the learning center.
  • Then pieces of different fruits put in different plastic cups.
  • Covered with paper and rap with rubber bands around to keep the fruits un-seen.
  • Then using a sharp pencil, small holes were created through the papers on top of the cups.
  • All the remaining fruits were kept away for the next step of tasting.
  • The children were called for briefing to the Learning Center.
  • Students started smelling on the cups to find out the type of fruit in a particular cup through the [paper holes created)
  • We made sure all fruits are ripe enough for the students to get the natural fruit smell.

After the smelling activity, Children were introduced to taste education and were given paper plates and a pencil to draw what they would like to taste. And funny pictures were received but we managed to figure out what they were meaning. So the already prepared fruits we remained with were brought back and supplied them to our children to enjoy the real taste. Believe me there are those who drew food on the plates which needed cooking. This group was taken to the Kitchen with recipes and they did prepare the food them selves under the supervision of Dembe catering group a cooking community for old women in Slow food Mukono Convivium.

We had fun, shout and Laughs at the event. This does not stop here, it goes on and on in as many schools and regions as we can.

You want to try this out? please do. Your students will discover and understand the real natural fruit smell and hear you will have known if all your students have a well developed sense of smell and Taste.

Background to project DISC

The participation of students in food production does not only enhance their taste behaviours and nutrition status, but can possibly lead to social transformation. Social conditions are complex and therefore positive attitude towards cultivation should be built within children that will in turn help to reverse the existing food shortages. The fact is that Project DISC aims at engaging School Children and the local youth communities in real life production of Clean, Safe and Fair food through working with schools and communities.