Chicken and Waffles Are Teaching Students Skills for Life

For students in Gabrielle Carpenter’s K-2 autism classroom at Daniel Webster School 46, a plate of chicken and waffles is more than a tasty Friday treat. It is a lesson in independence.

Every other Friday this school year, Carpenter and her students will prepare simple meals as part of her FUNctional Fridays  program. The menu includes chicken and waffles, grilled cheese, homemade pizza, chocolate chip pancakes, muffins, cookies, trail mix, ice cream sundaes, cinnamon rolls and strawberry shortcake — with more recipes to come.

“Many of the students lack the skills to communicate verbally, and as they grow older, I want them to be able to know what they want to eat and make it on their own,” Carpenter said. “All of these children will grow to be adults, and I want them to be as independent as possible.”

Carpenter chooses recipes that students may encounter at home and that can be prepared independently or with minimal directions. Along the way, students practice measuring, counting, reading, following directions, sharing and developing fine and gross motor skills.

Principal Allyson Peterkin believes Carpenter has had a huge impact on her students. 

“Students who struggled in the general education classrooms learn to thrive and achieve in Ms Carpenter’s class.  They feel loved, respected, and proud.  She creates experiences they will remember for the rest of their lives, that help them learn and grow, and enjoy learning”  

While Carpenter has been infusing cooking into her classroom for the past several years, this will be the first time the project will become a class cookbook. Each student will have a photo wearing a chef’s hat and holding a spatula, while photos of students completing each step will accompany the recipes.

The idea grew from Carpenter’s FUNctional Fridays, which focus on practical skills students can use at school and in everyday life. The class also operates a coffee cart, giving students additional opportunities to practice communication, responsibility and independence.

Last year, chicken and waffles was a class favorite. Students prepared dino-shaped chicken nuggets and made waffles using a waffle maker, choosing their own waffle colors with food coloring.

For Carpenter, the cooking project is about much more than food.

“I want them to gain independence, work on nutrition, counting and measuring, and sharing,” she said.

And by the end of the school year, each student will have something special to take home: a cookbook filled with recipes, photographs and memories they helped create.

 

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