At an elementary school in Maryland, kids are learning science by making bread. Instructor Esther Arce-Reed tosses the dough in the air, she demonstrates using math in measurements and adjustments to a recipe, and shows kids the concept of a chemical reaction by letting them see the bread change from components into familiar food.
Getting kids to love science and math with food is one way to learn.
Arce-Reed developed her program after seeing a similar demonstration as she volunteered for her daughter’s class in the first grade. The goal of the program is to get the children engaged with scientific concepts in a practical manner, which lets the children see and feel for themselves how the things they learn are part of everyday life. The program has stayed, even as other baking programs in the state have been replaced by other courses.
Bread-making has been part of the curriculum in schools across the country for decades, and although culinary arts have been replaced in many districts with lessons in science, computer technology and robotics, Arce-Reed and her husband, Raymon Reed, are proponents of bread-making as a window to learn key math concepts through measurements.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- Baking can make math and science fun.
- Fun is an important part of education.
- Baking bread uses both math and science.
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