Activity Plan 4-5: Rice and Beans Feast
Children will learn how water transforms food.
- Grades: PreK–K
Ready-To-Use Teaching Ideas: Cooking/Science.
- dried beans
- two pots
- chart paper and marker
Objective: Children will develop problem-solving and observational skills and sensory awareness as they learn how hot water creates changes in foods.
In Advance: Gather the cooking ingredients and bring water to a boil in two separate pots to reduce waiting time.
1 During group time, invite the children to think about foods that require hot water to cook. Record the children's responses on chart paper. Ask: What makes water boil? What does water do when it is boiling? How can we tell if something is hot without touching it?
2 Place bowls of uncooked rice and dried beans on the table and encourage the children to pass them around. How do the beans and rice feel? Do they feel the same as cooked rice and beans? Do the children know how these foods become soft? Explain to the children that you will prepare a meal to study how water changes these foods.
3 Place the rice and beans into separate pots of boiling water to cook. When the rice is cooked, show it to the children. Where has the water gone? What might happen if they added more water and cooked the rice again? Encourage them to describe how the rice became softer and larger. Then ask the children if they think the water will be in the pot of beans. Discuss the different ways both foods change with water. Introduce children to new words that describe the cooking process, like absorption, evaporation, and expansion.
4 Invite the children to help set the table for a rice and beans feast. While the children are eating, review the foods they listed that require water to cook. Ask the children to think about what they would like to cook next as they continue learning about how water changes foods.
Remember: Boiling water is dangerous. Be sure to discuss safety and sanitary rules with the children. Remind them that the water you're boiling will be very hot and that only adults are allowed to touch the pot-even after the rice and beans are cooked.
Pretend Play: Save some uncooked rice and beans for the children to use in the pretend kitchen area. Provide the children with plastic cookware, spoons, and plates. Encourage the children to prepare a meal for their dolls or friends.