Read Labels

Kids love cooking projects. They love to get to their hands dirty and play. They also really like to be able to play and then eat. For this lesson all you need is:

Assign jobs to each of the kids. Make the pudding, and do not refrigerate. Just pour it evenly into the three smaller bowls. Then add food coloring. Mix it up. I pick a number and the kids each take a turn counting until we get to that number.. helps reinforce counting/numbers for our wrap students…then pour, I always do blue, red, and yellow for the food coloring, one dollop of each color on wax paper and let them get really messy. When their all done playing, they can eat it.

Sounds simple right. Well the first batch of this, as I have so many students I have to make three batches, did not go so well. As my “student helper” apparently CANNOT read labels. Now, I do these projects and am getting ready, and she runs to the teacher chair to take over the project. Okay, Whatever, I start another activity with remaining students in the class. Well when my school agers get into the room.. We go to make the same pudding fun as before when a wrap around student comes to sit on my lap and asks why their colors look different. At this point I have 8 million thoughts running through my head.. and then I realize by looking at the bottles by the remants of the first batch that…. Instead of food coloring for cooking, she poured in food coloring for arts and crafts.. wonderful right? So then I went into freak out mode, reading out every ingredient in the arts and crafts one, looking for poison control warnings and you name I was freaking.. for her case.. it was luckily non-toxic, but it was still not fun having to tell parents because she cant read labels.

Now this student helper you ask of.. well I have problems with her…. Just all around… she doesn’t do much and cant clean.. and worst of all she works with kids, but is not going to work with kids.. Follow that?? Yea, I didn’t think so.. Okay, so where I work.. The full time, part time are obviously trained and qualified to work with children. But the student workers are college workers.. where at a Child Development Center.. There is one education student.. ONE.. The other 10 student workers are going for Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice.. SO.. this explains a lot..

You know people say, wow, I could never do that all day long.. I could never do what you do...Well, this student helper of mine does not belong, and should not do this all day long… as education working with kids is not for her.. Just as I would not want to be a police officer which she wants to be.

Okay.. I wouldn’t mind the perks of speeding through town in non emergencies.. whenever I darn well pleased like the cops in my town do.. or on duty, just pull up at a friends house and chat for a couple hours.. get paid to protect the people, but lets go hang out!

But in all reality I would be a chicken.. My butt would be running for hills if I got some crazy call.. I would freak, I would shiver.. and it would not be pretty...and well that’s just not for me.. so my point… she needs to find a new job.. please.. someone.. get this girl who causes problems that I cant do anything about.. get her to leave please.. as on the other things I have to remind her of daily, I now have to add please read labels to her list of what she seems to always forget..

Okay.. wow.. you deserve some type of award if you followed that! Happy Tuesday see you tomorrow for wordless wednesday!!