1st-Graders feed fathers at Smith Elementary

Courtesy Photo | Baumholder 1st-graders participate in a Daddy Day Luncheon at Smith Elementary School, Jan. 21. The children used their classroom as a restaurant and served food to their fathers who are deploying with the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan in February.  

BAUMHOLDER, RP, GERMANY

01.21.2011

Story by Pfc. Nathan Goodall 

170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- Children of soldiers with the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team held a luncheon for their Fathers during class at Smith Elementary School here Jan. 21.

“Is everything alright? Can I get you anything else,” asked a maitre d’ walking from table to table, ensuring all the customers are taken care of.

The restaurant is being held to the highest standards and the customers are happy and well-fed. The lunch hours are going stupendously and it’s all thanks to the staff. From the chefs to the waiters, they are a dedicated and enthusiastic team working to the best of their abilities. They are also all in 1st-grade.

Children of soldiers with the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team held a luncheon for their Fathers during class at Smith Elementary School here Jan. 21.

Louise L. Gregory, a 1st-grade teacher at Smith Elementary School, put together the luncheon for her class after one of her students suggested it.

The class cooks every Friday, and because of the upcoming deployment where most of the children’s fathers are scheduled to leave, the idea turned into an actual event.

“We cook a lot of different things, and one of the kids mentioned it would be fun to cook for the dads,” said Gregory. “So we decided we’d have a luncheon for the dads before they leave.”

Gregory’s class was learning about how a country’s government functions by turning the classroom into their own simulated country called “Guidoland,” named after Guido, the class’ pet iguana. The luncheon was integrated into the lesson by turning the classroom into “Guidoland Café,” a functioning simulation of an actual restaurant. The luncheon was a comprehensive learning experience, said Gregory.

Creating the meal, the children practiced math by correctly measuring fractions and food portions. They practiced reading by going through and understanding the recipes they were preparing. They even created arts and crafts by making their own aprons and placemats, said Gregory.

“We made aprons that said, ‘We love Guido,’ on them,” said Gregory. “I taught the children what a food service worker was and as we’ve been cooking all year we’ve been learning math and reading. I incorporate math, reading and all kinds of different disciplines into our cooking.”

The restaurant was complete with on-the-table appetizers, menus with different selections that the dads could order from, and a choice between muffins or brownies for dessert. The students became a fully-functioning restaurant staff, performing different jobs such as setting places at the table, taking orders as waiters, greeting people as hostesses, acting as a maitre d’ and preparing meals, said Gregory.

The menu items had a non-mandatory donation price of about 10 cents, which gave the children a chance to add up their fathers’ bills to practice their math and real-life economic skills, said Gregory.

“It was all donations, but any money we got we put in a cup and the children are going to have an ice cream party using the money,” said Gregory.

The event was most importantly a chance for children to have a fun lunch with their Family members, said Gregory.

“Kids take [deployment] hard, so I think you can’t ignore it,” said Gregory. “You have to realize it’s a big event in their lives, so you have to do everything you can to make it special.”

Everyone got the opportunity to bring their father in, whether they were deploying or not. Children whose fathers had already deployed got to bring in their mothers, and every student was encouraged to invite their mothers and siblings to the luncheon as well, said Gregory.

In addition to some mothers dining at the luncheon, many moms volunteered to participate in the event by coming to the class and assisting the students with their project, said Gregory.

“I have really wonderful parent help, and the mothers were great to come in and assist,” said Gregory.

The event spun-off into future ideas for the class, said Gregory.

“This was so successful and the kids loved it, so I think I am going to have a mother’s luncheon on Mother’s Day too,” said Gregory.

With the academic functions of the event and the importance of incorporating family members into what the students are learning, the luncheon was viewed as a major success. The next project for the class is creating a quilt for their dads. Each child will draw a picture of themselves with their dads on a cloth square to be made into a quilt. The quilt will hang on a wall in the school, said Gregory.

• Date Taken: 01.21.2011
• Date Posted: 02.15.2011 04:43
• Story ID: 65450
• Location: BAUMHOLDER, RP, DE