Thursday, Week 2 - Flapjacks and Fruit Kebabs

Today was another amazing day.  We made so much stuff it was ridiculous.  We started out making more fruit kebabs because they were such a hit yesterday and a lot of the kids have been asking me to make flapjacks, so that is what we did!  Today, I had a couple of girls helping until their mum picked them up early and several boys - maybe 6 or 7, at different times throughout the session.

EVERYONE wanted to help make the flapjacks today.  We made four batches of this recipe:

8oz Scottish porridge oats
4oz Pure Dairy Free Spread
1oz brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup

Half of one batch ended up on the floor as it was being stirred up.  Never mind.  And another batch ended up not sticking together once it had cooled down, but we still had enough for everyone, and I put the flapjack fail on a baking tray and onto the picnic table for anyone to take.  It was all gone in 5 minutes and a lot of the kids asked if we could make it again.  It looked a bit like cereal.  I wonder what it would have tasted like in a bowl with some soy milk.

After the fruit kebabs were all made up,  we still had a couple of watermeons left over.  So we had an idea to chuck it in the blender to see what would happen.  In it went and out came some really nice watermelon juice.  We put it in the freezer so by the time it got served at snack time, it might be slushy-like.  Some of the kids tried it.  Most who tried it, liked it, and I had a conversation with some kids who said they liked the taste but not the seeds... So maybe next time we get the seeds out with a strainer.  Another suggestion was to make ice lollies with the juice so we can try that next week perhaps, if we are lucky enough to get more fruit in our Tuesday delivery.

Two of the boys went into the garden to see if there was any ripe fruit or vegetables to eat.   They came back with a few apples that had fallen on the ground and they asked if they could make juice.  They chopped up the apples and put them in the blender, but they would blend.  So.. we put them in a pot and cooked them for 10 minutes to make them softer, and then put them in the blender and they blended up beautifully.

The mixture was too hot to do anything with before leaving for the day, so we shall see what we will do with it tomorrow.

I also wanted to mention a little story about a little boy who loves to chop things up.  He REALLY wanted to cut some things up and was practically begging, so there were a couple of red and yellow capsicums in the fridge that I took out so he could chop them up.  He did a really good job.  I gave him a bowl to put them in, added a little oil, vinegar and tahini and he ate all of just before going home. My feeling is that he ate it because he took part in making it.  If I had chopped them up and handed him the bowl, there is no doubt in my mind, that he would have said "No, thank you." It is the excitement and the thrill of it - the fun and the play - that makes it work - that compels these kids from the inside, to try and enjoy these new experiences.

I also said in a previous post that I would take some photos of the garden at the centre.  Here they are:

Oats are a really healthy option.  They are really high in the B vitamins and folic acid.  They have a low GI, lots of fibre  - the beta-glucan actively lowers your cholesterol - and keep you fuller for longer, which helps to prevent obesity.  Oats contain lots of carbohydrates, an important source of energy and they are high in protein too.