Susan Cole

With Easter coming and this class only has the rest of this week, I wanted to do something with carrots and eggs. The eggs we boiled and dyed using food coloring, vinegar and hot water. Then we or I blew one out and dyed it. The children had a great time. The carrots we tried them raw, made carrot and raisin salad and then made carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing. The children where not to sure about eating carrots in something other than ranch dressing, but after they tasted it they cleaned their plates. The frosting is the best easiest fool proof cream cheese icing I have found. You will find the recipes attached.

Carrot & Raisin Salad

3 c of grated carrots

1 c raisin

1/4 c mayonnaise

1/4 c powdered sugar

1/2 c chopped walnuts

Directions: Add 2 c grated carrots, 1 c raisins, 1/4 c mayonnaise, 1/4 c powdered sugar and1/2 c chopped walnuts in a bowl and mix.

Prep. time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

CARROT CAKE

3 c grated cakes

2 c all-purpose flour

2 c sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

4 eggs, well beaten

1 1/4 c vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine first 7 ingredients; stir in eggs, oil, ad vanilla, mixing well. Put in paper wrappers in muffin tins.Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese frosting

1 (16-oz) package of powdered sugar

1 (8 -oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 stick of softened butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c chopped pecans

Cream first 4 ingredients until well blended; stir in pecans.

Spread frosting on top will still warm.

In the fall we made a "Bread in the Bag" recipe which I did not like the finished product very much, so I worked on revising the recipe with better results. It takes about 1 hour from start to finish and it taste great. I halved the recipe to let the students make small loaves, and we cut 10 1" slices from one loaf. If you want a full loaf just double the recipe and add 8-10 minutes on cook time. Add butter and you have homemade bread.

Happy Holidays to you and your family. We are back in the kitchen and will be posting some recipes for holiday goodies. The children are so excited about their finished sewing projects, but are even more excited to be in the kitchen. If your house is like mine there is lots to do this time of the year and does not seem like we have enough time to do everything, take time to remember what the season is all about. Suggestions: Sit all together as a family and read the true Christmas Story, find a church Christmas program to attend, give to others unexpectantly with your children, let them see the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Ms. Susan

Mrs. Paige

During the second nine weeks we get a new group of students and are excited about teaching them sewing and cooking. Everyone has covered the basic hand stitches and moved to sewing machines, with the exception of K - 2nd grade. K - 2nd grade is doing a project that involves sewing on buttons and doing a running and blanket stitch. 3rd - 8th have learned some major parts and their functions, and how to thread their own machine.

We have sent a letter with what supplies each child needs to bring in. Thank you for getting their supplies in a timely manner.

Have a great Veterans Day.

Monday we learned how pumpkins are grown.

1. Seed, 2. vine, 3. flower, 4. little pumpkin, 5. big pumpkin.

Also, the students discussed all the uses for pumpkins: decorations, carve, pie, soup, harvest seeds, roast seeds, cake. These are just a few of the uses they thought of.

Tuesday, we will open pumpkins and take out the seeds and goo! We will clean the seeds to dry for roasting and harvesting.

Wednesday, we will start our pumpkin feast.

Thursday & Friday, continue pumpkin feast.

Pumpkin Seed Toasties: Scoop out pumpkin seeds. Wash seeds and let them dry overnight. Mix 2 cups seeds, 2 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic or onion powder (optional). Spread seeds on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Smoothies: For each serving, place in a cup 1 scoop softened vanilla ice cream, 1 Tbsp cooked pumpkin, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Stir until smooth.

Pumpkin Muffins: Mix 2 eggs, 1 1/2 c milk, 4 Tbsp oil, 1 c cooked pumpkin. Add 1 c sugar, 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 4 c biscuit mix. Mix all ingredients and pour into greased or paper-lined muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes 24 to 36 muffins, depending on size.

I hope you try these recipes at your house with the kids. It is a fun activity for the whole family. Yes, we use the out side shell for carving a Jack-o-lantern.

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We follow directions in a lot of aspects of our lives. It is a life skill to be able to read directions or instruction and carry out the task. We have taken recipes and follower the task this week to make Rocky Raisin Rolls with K - 3rd grade and Sugar and Spice Twist. The lower grades we put into 5 task (flatten, spread, sprinkle, poke raisins in, roll), then we put on pan and in oven.

Our students had a great time following directions. The upper grades made Sugar and Spice Twist. Following directions helps our students on LEAP and I-LEAP test.

Refrigerator biscuits

flour

raisins

butter or margarine

cinnamon

brown sugar

Sprinkle1 Tbsp. of flour on the table in the front of each person. Open can of biscuits; each person takes one biscuit. Flatten biscuit with hands or rolling pin. Use butter knife to spread margarine on biscuit. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Poke 5 raisins into each biscuit. Roll up biscuit; press edges together. Put rolls on foil-covered baking tray (in order of children's seating arrangement, if desired.) Bake in oven, at 350 degrees, for 8-10 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 package (12) refrigerated breadsticks

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Lightly grease baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Stir together sugar and cinnamon. Place on shallow dish or plate.

Open package of breadsticks. Divide into 12 portions. Roll each portion into 12 inch rope. Roll in sugar mixture. Twist into pretzel shape. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet. Cool 5 minutes. Serve warm.

*These were so much fun to make and the kids loved eating them. Great for after school snacks.

This week we learned about the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. We explored what each provided for our bodies and how they helped with the growth and development of our bodies and brains.

Fruit Salad was made with a variety of fruits. I choose fruit that we would not normally buy: rasberries, blue berries, kiwi fruit, honey dew melon, pineapple, mango, necterine, and green apple. We combined an 8 ounce box of cream cheese (softened), 1 cup of powdered sugar, and 1/4 c of cold milk. Folded it into the fruit and get ready to eat.

Sunshine Salad

Ingredients:

Iceberg Lettuce, Red Leave Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, Green Leafy (4 leaves of each kind)

Baby Spinach (hand full)

grape tomatos

Mushroom

carrot

cauliflower

broccoli

purple onion

Instructions:

Wash hands and all produce. (cutting lettuce with a knife will turn edges brown) Tear lettuce leaves into bite size pieces and put in salad bowl. Add grape tomatoes. slice mushrooms into thin slices and add. Using peeler to take the outside layer off of carrot and then grate carrot in the bowl (this adds color and for children that do not eat their carrots) Tear apart cauliflower rom stem. (Using a knife will turn the cauliflower brown). Tear apart the broccoli and cut up into salad. Peel onion and cut in half. Place flat side down on cutting board and make slices through the onion and add to salad. Add your favorite salad dressing and serve immediately.

Stone Soup

Ingredients:

4 potatoes

3 carrots

1 head of cabbage

1 onion

1 box of pasta (we used bowtie)

1 tablespoon of beef bouillon or 1 can of beef broth campbell

1 quart of water

Salt and pepper to taste (1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper

2 cleaned small round smooth stones (optional but fun)

Instructions: Cut up veggies add to water and broth, add seasoning. Start boiling soup when water boils add noodles. continue to cook until noodles and veggies are tender. Carefully remove the stones and serve.

We did the pizza roll in the 3rd week in the kitchen. It was done in two parts in the kitchen, because I wanted to introduce the students to yeast. However, here is the original recipe. I hope your household enjoys it as much as mine.

Prep: 20 minutes/ Bake: 35 minutes

1 can of Pillsbury French Bread Loaf

1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp minced fresh parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

8 ounces peperoni

2 c (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 jar of pizza sauce

On a greased baking sheet, roll out dough into a 15 in x 10 in. rectangle. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, oil, parsley, oregano, and garlic powder. Brush over the dough.

Sprinkle with the pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal and tuck the ends under.

Place seam side down; brush with remaining olive oil mixture. Do not let rise. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Warm the pizza sauce; serve with sliced loaf. YEILD: 10 - 12 slices

This week we are exploring cook books. Our students love looking through cook books for things they would like to cook. Learning how to read a recipe is not like reading a book. A recipe is a set of instructions for preparing a food or drink. Once you know how to follow a recipe, you can get cooking.

5parts of a recipe:

1. Recipe Name
2. Servings or yield
3. Ingredients
4. Directions
5. Time

*We will learn some cooking terms and make pizza this week.

We have had so much fun in the kitchen this week. We have covered eating healthy and created healthy snacks. We showed how much oil in a bag of Lays Potato chips and then baked an alternative chip today with only a drop of oil. The easy recipes are as follows:

Ingredients: 4 Flour tortillas

4 Tbsp. of olive oil or 2 egg whites

Your choice of seasoning

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Take a flour tortilla and brush olive oil or egg whites on tortilla, then sprinkle seasoning on top. Cut into fourths with pizza cutter. Put on a baking sheet and bake 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden. Remove from hot pan and cool for a couple of minutes. Enjoy!!!!!

* Ideas for seasonings: cinnamon and sugar mix, bar-b-que rub, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt, ranch dressing mix, try different things. Recommend the egg for the sweet seasons.

Have a great weekend!

Kindergarten K2A will be sewing a basic running stitch, chanting; up, down, up, down, never around!

2B are finishing their stuffed cell phones.

3-1 & 4BG are working on their service project; "Hug me bear". These bears will be distributed to emergency personal in our area to give to children that are victims of accidents or domestic violence.

6B2 are making drawstring bags for troops in Iraq.

7A1 & 7B2 are finishing "Anti Ouch Pouches" for breast cancer victims. These will be sent to the 2 local cancer treatments centers in Alexandria.

All of the children's hard work will displayed in the spring and then sent to the project destination.

Thank you for sending your child's supplies promptly.

This week in the sewing room we are:

Kindergarten are still on their first week rotation. We are working on ABC sewing cards, practicing going up, down never around, up down never around. Running stitch is used all week. At the end we use needle and thread to stitch a snake and then their initial.

2nd grade are working on their phones. Most of them have finished sewing all the buttons on and now start on the screen. Using the running stitch we learned last week they sew on the screen then the face plate, and last they sew a back on using a blanket stitch. Incorporating the three stitches learned the first week of school into the finished product.

3rd grade arrived in the sewing room a week after everyone else and are working to catch up. They have mastered the three basic stitches and have done some very creative things with them. They started learning the parts of the sewing machine and how to sew slowly.

4th grade are finishing bandana pillows and starting on their service project. The "Hug me bear" for emergency personal to give to frightened children.

6th grade finished their pillows and are starting their service project, to send to the troops

7th grade finished their pillow and are starting on their "Anti Ouch Pouch" for breast cancer patients.

*If you have any soft flannel fabric that you would like to donate please drop by the elementary office. We also need velcro (sew on). Thank you

Have a great week!

My name is Susan Dunn Cole and I am so excited to be your child's sewing and foods teacher. Teaching 3 years in pre-school and 10 years of Family and Consumer Science in area high schools has prepared me for this task. As a certified FACS teacher, I teach the importance of life skills and good nutrition in hands-on learning.

Students are on a 9 week rotation in electives. During the 9 weeks, that I have your student, we will be in the sewing room 5 weeks and kitchen 4 weeks. In the sewing room we will learn 3 basic hand stitches and how to sew on a button. Third grade through eighth will also learn how to thread and run a sewing machine. Every student will complete a project for themselves and then a service project. I feel it is very important to share our learning with the community through giving.

The project for K-2 grades are a stuffed cell phone that involves all learned stitches and then "Primi Project" snakes. The long stuffed fabric is used to wrap premature babies to help them gain weight by not reducing body temperature.

The project for 3rd - 8th grades are bandana pillows for themselves and differ on service projects.

3rd - 4th grade will make "Hug me Bears" to give to local emergency personal to comfort children that are injured and/or upset due to a situation.

5th - 6th grade will make draw string bags. The project is "US Troops Drawstring Bag" and is shipped to Operation Care Package where they fill the bag with personal items and goodies. The troops can use the bags for personal use and some pass them on to the children in Iraq.

7th & 8th graders will make "Anti-ouch Pouches" for breast cancer victims to use after surgery or during radiation treatments and will go to the two cancer centers in Alexandria.

In the kitchen we will discuss and discover: What is nutrition and how we get healthy through the food we eat? Encouraging math skills in the kitchen, while learning proper measurement skills.