November Visual Recipes
Cooking is a life skill that everyone needs to learn! All students in both special education classes and general education classes need to learn how to cook for themselves. It can be so fun to theme your cooking activities to engage students and mix things up. New recipes can also help students learn to try new foods and learn how to use different cooking tools and utensils. Using visual recipes allow for all students to be able to follow along regardless of abilities. Click here for November’s visual recipes and activities.
Resources in this post
Instant digital downloads · All included in SSE Classroom
Host a Thanksgiving Meal
When we theme our recipes for the month, we can align them with foods that we might see during holidays. This can prepare students for what foods they will try or eat during a Thanksgiving meal. Some schools will host a “Friendsgiving” at their schools and invite peers, other staff members, and/or parents to join. This is a practical skill, so that cooking becomes even more meaningful because you are cooking for other people. Students can send invitations out to people they are inviting to the Thanksgiving meal, and of course check with their school districts to see what is allowed. You can even create more student jobs/chores when planning a Thanksgiving meal, such as getting decorations and putting the tablecloth on, table runner on, and setting the table. Students can also work on washing dishes after cooking. Use these books to teach students how to complete the chores.
Try New Foods
Bringing cooking into the classroom helps students try new foods that they might not have exposure to otherwise. We know students with and without disabilities can be picky eaters! Even if students are resistant to trying new foods, they can have experience touching new foods or smelling them. We of course don’t want to force new foods on students, but they can participate in making the food, talking about it, and completing the worksheets. There is so much you can talk about with food: the different colors, different textures, different smells. Students can discuss verbally, using an AAC device, a communication board, etc. The November visual recipes pack includes 4 recipes, so if you cook once a week, you are set for the month.
Using the Microwave
Using the microwave is a life skill that everyone needs to learn how to use. It also is a great cause and effect tool. I have had students’ IEP goals related to cause and effect, and we have used the microwave as a functional item to teach this, especially for older grade levels. Using the microwave works on a plethora of skills! It works on students’ fine motor skills and math skills because you have to be able to identify numbers to type in the correct number to cook. There are many steps in using a microwave, so it might help to use a task analysis for students to follow step by step. The November recipes are all easy to teach because the focus for the month is using only the microwave. This allows students to have many opportunities to use the microwave and master this appliance. Click here for more microwave recipes!
Pre-Made Work to Go With It
In addition to the actual cooking activities, above shows the worksheets to go with it. All the work is provided for you, so there is no prep time needed. It includes visual recipes so students can independently follow along when cooking. These worksheets also are related to reading skills, such as comprehension. Students can sequence the steps into the correct order and answer questions about what they made and what tools they used. All the worksheets include % independence at the top so you can use these worksheets as work samples for data. It does not get much easier than that!
Visual recipes can be made for any age group in the classroom! Students are never too young or too old to participate in a cooking activity. If you do not have the supplies or appliances required in your own classroom, check to see if you can use the staff lounge with students. Most schools have at least one microwave, so these activities can be completed. You can also check out your local dollar store, where they have an entire kitchen section.
