Chocolate as a lesson tool!

[RillaBlythe]

Is this standard? According to DD & corroborated by another DC, today they sorted smarties out according to colour then got to eat them. It wasn't anyone's birthday. I feel like a po-faced puritan but I don't expect her to eat chocolate as part of her school day. Aren't there other small colourful objects they can sort?!

[DowntonTrout]

We also have chocolate bars being broken into squares for learning about fractions.

It was DDs Favorite Maths lesson ever!

[RillaBlythe]

I suppose it sticks in their mind!

[mrz]

www.prometheanplanet.com/en-gb/Resources/Item/27109/data-handling-smarties#.UGnifVFDDLw

[RedHelenB]

I used dolly mixture for data handling with my y3's!! If it was happening ever less on I'd say you had a point but I couldn't afford to but sweets all the time!!!

[Hopeforever]

Wish I'd been a student at that school

[mrz]

I've taught whole topics on chocolate - which Ofsted loved (and asked for samples)

[snowball3]

smarties for probability and data handling, chcolate for fractions, milkshake for ratios, bread making for quantities, the possibilities are endless!

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

I remember using smarties for something and then eating them.

Oh and making easter nests out of shredded wheat to demonstrate how birds built nests

[scrappydappydoo]

LOL - my dd's yr 1 teacher did this - I was more upset that she used a nestle product than dd having choc in school.

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

Im not a teacher btw, I meant when I was at school.

[RillaBlythe]

Haha scrappydappydoo maybe I should take in info on the boycott!

Thanks for the link & the info - so clearly this is a thing, & clearly I missed out at primary school!

[KateUnrulyBush]

We make chocolate crispy cakes in science to demonstrate the process of melting and pose questions about reversible and irreversible changes. In fact, we link food and cookery to a lot of the curriculum - pancakes, soda bread, jelly, to name a few.

I once did a piece of creative writing with year five based around a tin of Quality Street, in which each child chose one from the tin blindfold, then unwrapped, ate and described the whole sensory experience. We displayed it with the empty wrappers made into a border.

I think it's an excellent idea, very memorable for the children and fun.

[KitKatGirl1]

Never very helpful for dcs with milk allergies:-(

Ds always got an apple when the others were having chocolate (a treat to him at least!)

[Floggingmolly]

I feel like a po faced Puritan
Well, you said it!

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

Love the idea of chocolate lessons!

The stuff is fab as a bribery tool in secondary lessons to

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

Too

[mrz]

KitKatGirl1 have you tried the Moo Free (lactose free) chocolate?

Science - changing materials -melting and cooling chocolate make chocolate lollies.

[CouthyMowWearingOrange]

Kitkatgirl - supply the teacher with a bag of Jelly tots. Does the same job, but milk free. (DS3 CMP allergic).

[KitKatGirl1]

Ds likes (very expensive) dark chocolate buttons, but thanks, mrz:-) There are also some gf/cf 'smarties' you can get from the health food shop but would be a pain if they got muddled up with the others!

(Actually his yr 6 teacher was fab and got in some special macaroons she knew he was allowed when they had 'newspaper, juice and biscuit time' pre-Sats tests but it just used to make me laugh if it was a child's b'day and they all came out with sweeties/chocs and ds got an orange. He didn't mind!)

[5inthebed]

Ds2 would LOVE a lesson involving chocolate.

As a one off I can't see the problem.

[KitKatGirl1]

Ds now at secondary and he came home saying the geography teacher offered Revels as a reward for full marks on a test. Not sure if I can send in sweeties to all his secondary teachers just in case!

[mrz]

I used to buy my son the carob buttons (but they aren't really a substitute)

[Tiggles]

I still remember the literacy lesson I had 26 years ago when were each given an Opal Fruit (Starburst now?) and had to describe it. Mine was yellow...

[mrz]

www.thebellbird.cambs.sch.uk/documents/class%205%20-%20Chocolate%20Investigation.pdf

[iseenodust]

DS's teacher did microwave popcorn for science changing materials - fab.

This week they were moving jelly cubes with pencils - didn't ask if they got to eat it.