Tasteful Collaborations for a School Community

by: Senior Kindergarten Teachers Lauren Brody, Caroline Jones, and Karen Larson

As we begin this autumn season, many take the time to count their blessings or take a moment to ponder what they are grateful for. In Senior Kindergarten, we take a pause to be thankful for the wonderful collaborations that we have in our school. The most important collaborations within our school community involve educators, parents, and students. Senior Kindergarten also loves to celebrate the beautiful diversity we have in our school. In November, Senior Kindergarten celebrates culture and the spirit of collaboration through one of the most significant connections between us…Food!

The Seven Silly Eaters is a children’s book written by Mary Ann Hoberman. It tells the story of a woman who has seven children who like different foods. It speaks to a mother who is challenged by her children’s varied interests and painstakingly provides each of her picky eaters with different foods. One day, to celebrate their mother, the children decide to each make their special meal as a birthday treat for their mom! They each attempt to make their favorite food, and through collaboration, they accidentally make a cake out of the items they threw together. When the family discovers the cake in the morning, they are delighted by the beginning of a new family tradition!

This book inspires Senior Kindergarten’s Seven Silly Eaters’ Potluck where Senior Kindergarten hosts a lunch with a delicious and diverse smorgasbord of foods prepared by every family in the Senior Kindergarten class. For this activity and celebration, the parents and teachers collaborate to plan which dishes each family would like to bring to represent their family. At school, the students and teachers collaborate via discussion about family traditions and by creating artwork that represents family. Each family also handwrites their recipe on paper, which is copied and shared in a bound recipe book for each family.

The phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” is significant at Rossman School because we believe that with the collaboration of teachers, administration, and parents a child can be successful. Through celebrations like the Seven Silly Eaters potluck, people are able to connect, share, and most importantly, feel seen. Everyone collaborating toward a common goal, eating together, listening to Mrs. Z read The Seven Silly Eaters, connecting as a community, and telling their family’s story are a picture of our Rossman “village” on display. The end result is a delicious meal to be shared by a close-knit community of educators, parents, and the children they love! What a stunning display of collaboration!