Sub-Project: Learning new vocabulary (vegetables) through a memory and recall Game

Description: One of the primary goals for The Garden Project is to introduce healthy eating habits to young children by getting them acquainted with a wider variety of vegetables. In this engaging project + game we combine the fantastic book of “Growing Vegetable Soup” by Lois Ehlert to the sensory exploration of fully grown vegetables and extending the learning to a vocabulary memory and recall game.

Take a big pasta pot and fill it up with different vegetables. If you have already read Growing Vegetable Soup, choose the vegetables that are mentioned in the book. Make sure you cover your pot of vegetables with a lid so that children can’t see what’s inside.

Next, print out the vegetable card page. You can either print one out and put it in the center of the circle, as children are seated on the floor around the vegetable card, or you can print one for every child.

Hand the pot to one child in the circle. Have the children chant the song “Vegetable Soup, vegetable soup, what’s inside my vegetable soup?”, while they pass the pot from child to child. When the chant ends, the child who has the vegetable soup in her lap has to open the lid and choose one vegetable. Then if the vegetable can be found on the board, he/she has to place the vegetable on top of the corresponding vegetable on the card. Keep going until there are no more vegetables in the pot.

If children aren’t too restless, add the children play the memory recall game by reciting what was in the pot in the order they pulled the vegetables out. If there is a vegetable that is missing from the card, ask the children to tell you which vegetable(s) is/are missing from the soup. This activity is especially good for English language learners or very young learners learning about vegetables for the first time as it combines the tactile exploration to the visual identification of vegetables, helping them with the memory and recall part.

To extend this activity into a project, have the children make their own combinations of soup or their favorite dish, by making them notate the ingredients (if children can write, then they can write the recipe otherwise they can draw the ingredients) or bring them in to the classroom to show the rest of the class.

Download the vegetable card here: TGP_Vegetable Soup Bingo

Collaborative Project: Why not share your favorite vegetable recipe with another classroom in a different part of the world? Make your own special chant for your favorite food: tomato spaghetti, bright red fresh gazpacho… yummy!

Learning Objectives: By combining the tactile and visual sensory perceptions as well as repeating simple vocabulary (nouns) in a sequential way, children can easily learn new vocabulary, healthy eating, understanding the concept of ingredients, sharing (recipes)

Time frame: all year, although when doing vegetable soup make sure you use season vegetables only

Collaboration Form: