Going grocery shopping may seem like a chore to most people, but for students in Room 104 at Springboro High School it is a fun opportunity to practice valuable life skills they can use throughout their lives.
Buying groceries for this classroom of students with exceptional needs is turned into a multi-faceted, cross-curricular lesson. First, students brainstorm meals and treats they want to learn to make, then, with their teacher's help, they look up recipes online and determine what recipe they would like to create. While doing this, they learn about healthy meal options and how to prepare items for friends who are vegetarians and have food sensitivities to gluten, soy and dairy.
Once they choose a recipe, they use math skills to determine how many servings they need to make and what ingredients may need to be doubled. Then, they go through the classroom refrigerator and pantry and determine what ingredients they need to purchase. After that, they make a shopping list, but instead of writing it out they use pictures of the food attached to a clipboard.
Once this is completed, it's off to Kroger, where they divide into groups and comb the store looking for items on their shopping lists. While in the store, they ask store employees where they can find items on their list and enjoy a cookie from the bakery and even some "kid fruit" from the produce section.
The students learn to scan the aisles for items they need, compare prices to find the best deal, and individually purchase a snack at the self-checkout. The students help the teacher unload, check out and put bags back in the cart. Then it's back to school, where they cook and bake over the next two weeks.
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