{"id":1140,"date":"2026-05-15T15:45:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2026-05-15T15:45:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:45:42","slug":"learning-through-food-stories-and-maths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/2026\/05\/15\/learning-through-food-stories-and-maths\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning Through Food, Stories, and Maths"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A week of curiosity, cooking, and creativity<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This weeks learning was a wonderful mix of\u00a0cooking, healthy living, maths skills, and storytelling<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 all helping to build independence, understanding, and imagination<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83e\udd54 Cooking: Jacket Potatoes with Beans and Cheese<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We began by preparing a simple and comforting meal: jacket potatoes with beans and cheese<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we washed and dried the potatoes before placing them in the oven to bake. As they cooked, the kitchen filled with a warm, earthy smell. Once soft inside, we carefully cut them open and watched the steam escape!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next came the toppings \u2014 baked beans and grated cheese<\/strong>. The heat from the potato melted the cheese into a golden layer over the beans, making it both delicious and satisfying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This activity helped develop:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Fine motor skills (grating cheese, cutting safely)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Independence and confidence in the kitchen<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • An understanding of where food comes from<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83e\udd57 Understanding Healthy Food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    While cooking, we talked about healthy eating choices<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We explored how our meal included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Potatoes<\/strong>\u00a0\u2192 a source of energy (carbohydrates)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Beans<\/strong>\u00a0\u2192 protein for growth<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Cheese<\/strong>\u00a0\u2192 calcium for strong bones<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      We also discussed the importance of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Eating a\u00a0balanced diet<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Including fruits and vegetables<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Drinking water<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        By connecting cooking with nutrition, learners begin to understand how food helps keep our bodies strong and healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        We continued this through the week and sampled lots of different healthy foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        Exploring Pictograms in Maths<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

        A fun step into data and discovery<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This week in maths, we explored an exciting way to collect and present information using\u00a0pictograms<\/strong>. The children were enthusiastic and quickly engaged with this visual approach to learning numbers and data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n\n\n\n

        \ud83d\uddbc\ufe0f What is a Pictogram?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        We began by learning that a pictogram<\/strong> is a type of chart that uses pictures or symbols<\/strong> to represent data. Each picture stands for a certain number of items, making it easier to count and compare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        For example:
        \ud83c\udf4e = 1 apple
        or sometimes
        \ud83c\udf4e = 2 apples<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This introduced the idea that symbols can represent more than one item, depending on the key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        \ud83d\udcd6 Story Time: Tiddler<\/em> by Julia Donaldson<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

        Exploring imagination and storytelling<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This week, we enjoyed reading the delightful story Tiddler<\/em> by Julia Donaldson<\/strong>, a tale full of imagination, creativity, and adventure under the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n\n\n\n

        \ud83d\udc1f About the Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        Tiddler<\/em> tells the story of a small fish who is always late for school because he creates fantastical excuses<\/strong> about his journeys. Each day, he arrives with a new and dramatic tale, describing adventures such as meeting sea creatures or travelling through underwater worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Although his stories are not true, they spark curiosity and excitement among the other sea creatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n\n\n\n

        \ud83d\udcac Our Discussions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        After reading the story, we talked about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Imagination vs reality<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 What parts of Tiddler\u2019s stories were real or made up?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Honesty<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Why is it important to tell the truth?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Storytelling<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 How stories can be fun and creative<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          The children loved sharing their thoughts and even came up with their own imaginative ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n\n\n\n

          \u2728 What We Learned<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Through Tiddler<\/em>, we explored important skills and themes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • Creative thinking<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 imagining new and exciting ideas<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Listening and speaking<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 sharing opinions about the story<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Sequencing events<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 remembering what happened first, next, and last<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Understanding consequences<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 learning that honesty matters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            A week of curiosity, cooking, and creativity This weeks learning was a wonderful mix of\u00a0cooking, healthy living, maths skills, and storytelling\u00a0\u2014 all helping to build independence, understanding, and imagination \ud83e\udd54 Cooking: Jacket Potatoes with Beans and Cheese We began by preparing a simple and comforting meal: jacket potatoes with beans and cheese. First, we washed and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":157,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/157"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1140"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1145,"href":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140\/revisions\/1145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oakwoodblogs.co.uk\/sycamore25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}