By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Exactly how hot was it?
Hot enough to bake cookies in a car – as students in two Union City Elementary School Pre-K classes discovered.
The oppressive heat of a couple of weeks ago provided the perfect conditions for teachers Halle Lively and Kursten Osborne and their students to complete a project after studying the weather.
The supervised group – which began each day during the study learning and singing the ‘Super Simple Weather Song’ – placed cookie dough on a baking sheet and left it in Mrs. Lively’s vehicle one afternoon when the temperature had soared to triple digits.
The oven temperatures were indeed simulated, and the project had a happy ending, with students enjoying baked cookies due to the extreme heat.
“We’d been studying about the weather, what it looks like, and how it feels outside each day,” said Lively. “We talked to the kids about how our cars can work like an oven when it’s as hot as it was for that week. We asked them beforehand if they thought the experiment might work.
“They all got to make predictions about whether or not the cookies would bake. They were so excited to get their supplies ready and, obviously, with the end result.”
The lesson also included observing and exploring students’ surroundings and demonstrating an understanding of simple weather conditions and vocabulary.
Orsborne added: “It is so fun to watch our kids learn through hands-on exploration. I think this is a project they will always remember!”