Food experimentation workshop
Workshops are “systematized and very directed activities, with an ascending progression of difficulties, to achieve that the child acquires diverse resources and knows different skills that will later be used in a personal and creative way in the corners or spaces of the classroom” (Fourcade, 2009, p. 4). One of the main objectives of the workshops is to create an object or a product, in other words, it is a place where things are done and where people think about the process that is carried out to achieve that product. Furthermore, holding workshops brings a large number of benefits that promote the integral development of children in the classroom, above all their autonomy, since, as has been indicated, the workshops provide a series of strategies and techniques that allow children to do things for themselves. On the other hand, the workshops are a space for socialisation, where the children meet others, as well as the different objects offered to them (Torio, 1997).
As Quinto Borghi (2005) points out, from the point of view of organisation and use, there are different types of workshops, more specifically three. Firstly, there are the workshops held within the infant school, known as internal workshops. Inside a school there can be two types of spaces in which workshops are held, on the one hand a specific classroom, a specific space where only workshops are held and, on the other hand, the workshops can be held in multi-purpose spaces, that is to say, they are the same spaces in which other types of activities are carried out (classroom, school canteen, etc.). The second type of workshops that can be found are those that take place outside the classroom, known as external workshops. Within this section there are different spaces or contexts in which these activities can be carried out. On one hand, the workshops can be held in the school space, outside the building, but inside the school premises, for example, in the playground. On the other hand, workshops can be held outside the school, such as in the neighbourhood or the city. And lastly, workshops can be held that are linked to an institution, which are carried out in different spaces such as museums, theatres, etc. Finally, the last type of workshop mentioned by this author is the workshop in a suitcase. This consists of carrying all the necessary materials for a specific workshop in a suitcase, facilitating their transport to different places and spaces, both in the school and outside it.
On the other hand, when carrying out a workshop in the classroom a series of decisions have to be taken, such as, for example, the materials to be offered to the children, which have to be polyvalent, so that the children can carry out different activities with them and develop different skills. Another aspect to take into account is what kind of teachers will be in the workshop, whether they will be specialists in the subject or not. On the other hand, you have to take into account the groupings that you are going to make, this will depend on the activity that you are going to carry out. Finally, you should think about the space in which the workshop is going to be held, the atmosphere that is going to be created, the furniture, etc. (Ceballos, 2018)
On this occasion, in particular, an experimental workshop will be held. As mentioned by Morillas (2014), experimentation and manipulation play a very important role in children’s learning, as it helps them to develop mental activities, contributing to increasing their knowledge. On the other hand, during these moments, not only is learning through manipulation, but also through observation and relationships with other classmates. In other words, manipulation is a tool that helps children to get to know the world around them.Finally, in order to relate the activity to one of the most important moments in the daily life of a school, food, it has been decided that the workshop carried out will consist of experimenting with food and different instruments that will be offered to the children. The aim of this activity will be to make the pupils aware of the different characteristics of food through all their senses. From the sense of taste, tasting the different foods; going through the touch, discovering the different textures; the sight, observing the different colours and shapes; to the smell, discovering the thousands of different smells that these foods can have. In addition, as indicated above, the aim is for the children to establish a relationship, to comment on what they are feeling with each of the foods, to show each other what they are discovering, to play with each other… In conclusion, the aim is for the workshop to be a fun space that allows the children to get to know the world around them and to establish relationships with others.
References
Ceballos, N (2018). Los talleres en Educación Infantil [Material de aula]. Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Cantabria. Recuperado de https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3qzn101ggp2yvf3/AADfBASFIZXORk_AZvc2pw4Ya/Bloque%204/Presentaciones/ok.Los%20talleres%20en%20educaci%C3%B3n%20infantil.pdf?dl=0
Fourcade, A. (2009). Los talleres en Educación Infantil. Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana. Recuperado de https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/12189/1/Talleres_EI.pdf
Morillas, V (2014). La manipulación y la experimentación en Educación Infantil (Trabajo de Fin de Grado). Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Andalucía. Recuperado de https://rodin.uca.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10498/16622/tfg%20final.pdf
Quinto Borghi, B. (2005). Las características metodológicas del taller. En B. Quinto Borghi, Los talleres en Educación Infantil: espacios de crecimiento (pp. 57-76). Barcelona: Grao.
Torio, S. (1997). Talleres y rincones en educación infantil: su vigencia psicopedagógica hoy. Congreso de Córdoba. Recuperado de https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3qzn101ggp2yvf3/AAAYRwUocQI4LqC4_aVhioZua/Bloque%204/Talleres%20y%20rincones.pdf?dl=0
Authorship
Vanessa Molleda, Sara Ruiz y Ángela Sierra, 2020.