Summer School--One Week to Go!

I can't believe how quickly Summer School has gone by. It has been great this year. No serious behavior issues--what's a little talking--I can deal with that.

The students in my "Cooking around the World" class have completed their Powerpoint presentations on their selected food cultures and will start presenting them on Monday. Do you know how difficult it is to find usual mealtimes for other cultures? Most of the other info on their lists wasn't too difficult: main protein food, main veggies, main fruits, spices or flavorings, etc.

One thing they did struggle with was the concept of "or." What do I mean by that? Well, I asked them to find special food restrictions (such as, no pork in Muslim areas, etc.) "or" special eating behaviors (such as, eating with hands, eating from a common dish using chopsticks, etc.). I think several of them stopped reading after they got to "special food restrictions." They seemed to forget that there was another choice. Hence, the "or." So, when I was reviewing their final drafts, I did some nudging to get them to research a little further.

I think all of them have enjoyed the food labs we have done: Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones, Bavarian Pretzels, Scottish Shortbread, Mini-Calzones (my own creation), and Bread Puddin' .

Next week, we are having a Pasta Lab. Each of the 6 groups will prepare a different pasta dish and then they will get to eat a bit of each. I also plan to give a demo of some different grain foods from around the world, spinach pilaf, couscous, barley with honey & milk (one of my Pakistani husband's favorites), chapatis, and Jamaican rice and beans.

And though cooking really isn't part of the "Needle Me This!" class, I am planning on having them make Cinnamon Knots on Monday. They are fast, very easy to make, and taste delicious.

It's been a bit difficult for me this summer because chefs usually do a little taste testing. I have been following the "Flat Belly Diet" for the month of June which doesn't allow most of what we have made. But since I have lost 8 pounds so far and finally got down into the next 10 pound range on the scale, I don't think I have missed much. And in fact, buying new clothes has been lots of fun!

Summer School 2010

Hey all! Another summer school session has started. This year I have 21 girls, ages 11-13, in my "Needle Me This!" class. Try teaching all 21 how to crochet at once. It's a challenge, but also a lot of fun when you see them begin to have some success.

Of course, in a class of any kind, you always have a few who give up way too soon. One of my girls today said she was ready to stop for the day with 30 minutes left in class!! Needless to say, I don't let that happen.

So for those of you out there who are trying something new, remember, it takes a while to get really good at any new skill, be it crochet, quilting, cross-stitch, or basketball. That's my usual example because middle school girls and boys both know what I'm talking about.

I have changed the crochet scarf a little bit. This year we are using a size N hook (the biggest one you can get without going for those special ones that cost a lot more). We are also going to make the scarf narrower (10 single crochet stitches) and longer (about 8 feet).

This will make a scarf that can be folded in half and looped through, a style currently worn by lots of girls and women in the St. Louis area this year. I'll take a picture soon so you can see what I mean.

The girls are excited because we are doing some other fun things: counted cross-stitch bookmarks, macrame bracelets, machine embroidery on a purchased tote bag, and whatever else I might make up along the way.