To kick off the very first What’s Up Wednesday we have a fantastic and tasty guest post by Rose from Speech Snacks. Enjoy!
My blog has a unique twist in that all of my posts are inspired by foods, cooking, nutrition and all things edible! Cooking has always been a creative outlet of mine and I enjoy intertwining my profession with my passion! I have made cooking into a teachable moment by showing ways to enhance speech and language skills while preparing foods together. In addition, I recently opened a TeachersPay Teachers store which includes many food-inspired speech and language activities. I hope you enjoy this Winter Wellness themed post and have an opportunity to view more of my ideas at www.speechsnacks.com as well as visit my TpT store http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Speechsnacks In the meantime, “Speak Well and Eat Well!”
*************************************************************
“Stay Healthy” Chicken Soup with speechsnacks for Wintertime Wellness Language & Problem Solving
Cold and flu season are hitting many of us hard this year! And whether you have already been a victim of a virus or an innocent bystander of a bacteria, chances are, you can use a bowl of chicken soup to help what is ailing you! Nothing is more comforting when you are feeling under the weather than a bowl of homemade chicken soup. I can remember this remedy being a magical elixir for me many times throughout my life. While chicken soup isn’t the cure for a cold, it does help alleviate some of the annoying symptoms that come with it. And, if nothing else, it definitely is a delicious, comforting meal that helps keep your body hydrated. The next time the cold bug has you down, stay warm, get a lot of rest, and get your mom (or some other kind soul) to make you a big pot of homemade chicken soup!!
This week’s recipe post inspired me to create “Wintertime Wellness Language and Problem Solving Packet” You can find it in my TeachersPayTeachers store.
It includes game cards to address three areas of language development. You can target one area at a time or spread out all the cards and work on all three areas at once–just be sure to keep each category grouped together for better organization:
Problem Solving and Perspective Taking
Figurative language for idioms, similes and metaphors
Synonyms
As a practical application and a great way to practice written language, I have included a letter writing template with three vocabulary words and one idiom from this unit to write a letter to a friend who has been home with a cold.
The first player to earn/collect all 6 “kick your cold” cards is the winner. But beware of the “germs on the loose” cards!
(each card provides a helpful tip for staying healthy and avoiding germs)
We played “Wintertime Wellness” in our therapy session this past week. Take note of the tissues, hand sanitizer and wipes!!! (Perhaps I need to stop being such a germaphobe, but I am determined NOT to get sick this year!)
A collectible “speechsnacks” recipe card is also included in this download. Use a three-hole punch and add your recipe page to a three ring binder. Collect all my “speechsnacks!” I offer a new recipe each time you download one of my activities!
You can find this activity at my TpT store here!!
**************************************************************
Recipe for Homemade Chicken Soup:
This recipe is primarily meant to be carried out by an adult (unlike many of my child-centered recipes), but it is still a great opportunity to incorporate language skills while your kiddos look on and watch you prepare it!
Ingredients:
2 large raw chicken breasts (bone included)
1 onion roughly chopped
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1 bag baby carrots
2-3 cloves garlic
1 small head of escarole
1 cup barley
salt and pepper to taste
Fill a pot 3/4 full with cold water. Add two large, raw chicken breasts—(bone and skin on) to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste, 3-4 cloves garlic–smashed, but not necessary to mince, one onion, chopped, half of one stalk of celery–including the leaves. Bring ingredients to a boil. Lower to a simmer and continue to simmer on low heat for three hours. Be sure to use free-range or organic chicken if possible. It is a higher quality product and will yield a higher quality soup! After cooking for three hours, separate the liquid broth from the remaining ingredients by pouring soup into a colander or metal strainer. You will be left with a clear, yellowish broth. Discard the remaining cooked down celery, onions, etc. Keep the cooked chicken breast to add to the soup later.
Can your kiddos remember everything you added to pot? Ask them to recall the sequence. Have them compare what the soup looked when it started out in the pot and how it changed after simmering for several hours.
Clean and chop the remaining head of celery and one bag of baby carrots or peel and chop 4-5 whole carrots. Add them to the pot of clear broth. Additionally, mince 2-3 cloves of garlic and one onion and add to the pot. Use organic vegetables when possible!!
Ask your kids to help you identify all the verbs used to create this recipe. Reinforce the meanings of the words with them: CHOP, STRAIN, CLEAN, MINCE, ADD, SIMMER, MEASURE, RINSE, COOK, ENJOY
Work on categorization skills by naming as many vegetables as possible with your kids. How about classifying into sub-categories like: root vegetables, green vegetables, round vegetables, long vegetables….the possibilities are endless!!!
Measure out one cup of organic barley. Rinse barley thoroughly and add to the pot of soup. Barley does not need to be cook separately. It will cook along with the vegetables in the broth.
As an alternative, use rice instead of barley. Or, cook wide egg-noodles and add them to your broth at the end.
Cook soup on low, covered, for approximately one hour. Check carrots for doneness. Additionally, you can add one small head of escarole greens (cleaned and torn into pieces) to add even greater nutritional value (as an Italian American, escarole is a must-have in our homemade chicken soup!!)
Add pieces of chicken breast to your bowl of soup. Enjoy with some warm crusty bread! Stay healthy this winter……and as always, “Speak Well and Eat Well!”
