Co-Op Lesson Plan, Week Seven

There are some lessons that stay with you long after the classroom is quiet, the craft supplies are packed away, and the last child has waved goodbye. Week seven in Uganda, was that lesson for me. Of all the countries we’ve explored so far, this one settled deepest into my heart. When I told the kids we were traveling to Uganda, I could tell it was unfamiliar territory for most of them. That’s always my favorite place to begin. We gathered around the map, tracing our fingers across continents until we found Africa, then zoomed in on Uganda. Uganda is often called The Pearl of Africa, and as we talked about its lush landscapes, lakes, and villages, I could see the kids beginning to picture it.

We spoke about how Christmas in Uganda looks different from what we’re used to. There are no snowy mornings or fireplaces, but there is music, so much music. Singing, dancing, drumming, and joyful celebration fill the churches and communities. Christmas is deeply rooted in faith, gratitude, and gathering together. I told my students how families walk long distances to attend church on Christmas Day, dressed in their best clothes, ready to worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus. For many families, Christmas isn’t about presents under the tree, but about the gift of coming together, sharing a meal, and praising God.

For our craft, I wanted something simple woven in Uganda culture. The people of Uganda make small souvenirs and decorations from wire and beads, so I went with what I though was a pretty simple pipe cleaner snowflake. But as I sat down with my six-year-old daughter, the day before class to test out the craft with her, I realized that the directions were bit more complicated for her to fallow than I originally thought. But on we go, and as all fourteen of my students worked with their hands, I watched them help one another, passing supplies, some adding more beads than necessary or twisting the pipe cleaners in the wrong direction, but they still proudly showed me what they had made, even if it was a bit wonky.

Co-Op Lesson Plan

I have fourteen students, and our lesson is one hour long. I also have two helper teachers. As all you moms out there know, keeping the attention of fourteen 5–7-year-olds is a big challenge in itself. So, I deiced to break the lesson up into three parts, geography, Christmas traditions, and craft time. Each child would also take home the Christmas treats I made for them. Here is the co-op lesson plan I made, I hope you find it helpful!

I start every lesson with a name circle. Each student says his or her name and we repeat their name as a group. Hopefully we all know each other's names by the end of the semester!

Geography:

• Look at the map of the world and ask, "how many contents do we have?" Sing the content song. Link to my world map

• Give hints about the country we will be learning about. Challenge one of the students to find the country on the map.

Christmas Traditions:

• Pick out three to four Christmas traditions unique to Uganda.

• Read from the curriculum and ask question comparing to our own Christmas traditions to those in Spain.

• Show videos if appropriate. I showed three videos for Uganda, Christmas in Uganda, Operation Christmas Child, Uganda from Above.

Craft:

• Christmas theme craft, provided by the Gather 'Round curriculum or something that I came up with.

• Uganda craft: Pipe cleaner and bead snowflakes. Video tutorial.

  • Supplies for the craft: pipe cleaners and beads

Curriculum:

• Christmas Around the World, Teacher's Guide

• Recipes Around the World

This week I made mandazi, African doughnuts, for my students to take home. Mandazi are commonly enjoyed with curry for a savory dish or with jam, honey or powdered sugar. I topped these with powder sugar for my student wrapping them up in a brown paper lunch bag and a few spoonfuls of powder sugar. I had some dough left over so, I made chicken curry for dinner later that week and fried up the leftover mandazi to go with it. The whole family chowed down, I really preferred it savory with the curry over the sweet powder sugar version. But that's just me...

Mandazi (African doughnuts)

Serves about 18

Ingredients:

240g (1 cup) milk

60g (1/4 cup) coconut oil

438g (3 1/2 cups) flour

50g (1/4 cup) sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Coconut oil for frying

Powder sugar for topping

Method:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix all the ingredients together until a smooth dough forms. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

2. Divide the dough into 4 sections. Roll each section into a circle about 1/3 inch thick. Cut each circle into fourths so there are 4 triangles. Repeat with remaining dough.

3. Heat at least 4 inches of coconut oil in a deep-frying pan. Place 3-4 triangles into the oil and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side. The mandazi should puff and turn golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.

4. Dust generously with powder sugar. Best served immediately!

Before they left, I asked our usual questions:

What country did we learn about today?

Can you find it on the map?

Each child answered confidently, fingers landing on Africa, then Uganda. Those moments never get old. They’re small victories, but they matter. As I packed up that afternoon, I realized why Uganda had become my favorite lesson so far, because the children began to see the world as bigger than themselves.

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Next week we will be learning about Ukraine! We are so blessed, because my assistant teacher is actually from Ukraine and she gave me a small break and taught the lesson herself! So, stay tuned! If you’ve been following along, thank you. And if you’d like to stay connected, be sure to subscribe to my email list so you don’t miss future lessons, recipes, and little glimpses into our life Made at Home.

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