As part of the Pink Cluster’s social studies curriculum, students learn about various services in their neighborhood community. Throughout the year, students have been researching local service occupations (firefighters, police officers, nurses, etc.) as well as occupations that take place in designated places (retail workers, bakers, grocery store workers). Most recently, the students learned the services that pizzerias and bakeries provide to a community. To show all that they have learned, the students transformed their classrooms into their very own Yummy Bakery (Room 220) and Yummy Pizzeria (Room 217).
On April 14, the Yummy Bakery and Yummy Pizzeria were open for business, and the students invited faculty, staff, and fellow students to come and visit their establishments. Since they could not sell actual food items, the students created artistic versions of the items they were selling. In the invitation to the community, the Pink Cluster teachers said, “Despite not using real foods, students are excited for you to visit our neighborhood pizzeria and bakery, ‘purchase’ their scrumptious creations, and watch this idea of mutually beneficial relationships between consumers and producers unfold!”
A project-based, multisensory approach is a hallmark of the Gaynor curriculum, and it allows students to not only gain knowledge about the subject matter they are studying, but also to actively participate and engage with the concepts being taught. In this case, students were able to learn about the various services in their community by using their sense of sight, touch, and even imagination.
The use of coins as a means of “purchasing” items from the pizzeria and bakery is a prime example of how multisensory education can be used to enhance learning. By providing students with a physical representation of currency, they are better able to understand the concept of buying and selling, and how it relates to the services being provided by the local businesses. It is also a great way to practice real-world math skills.
As their customers walked through the doors of the pizzeria and bakery, the students were thrilled to show off their creations and help their customers choose items and determine how much they would need to pay. What a truly delectable experience!
