Dear Addie,
This week in part-time home school, the great Bob Marley said it best when he said - we be jamming...except there was a complete lack of any Rastafarian vibe, and we were actually making strawberry jam. Let the fine motor life skills begin!
For as long as I can remember, fine motor skills have always been challenging for you. Eating with utensils, cutting with scissors, writing or coloring, brushing teeth- there seems to be a lack of muscle tone in holding and simultaneously moving the objects in each task (insert years of therapy), and, how do I put this, a desire to even do these things. I get it - you can use your hands to eat, most things can be ripped rather than cut, and writing...well, our world is moving more and more towards being technology-based, so iPads and computers are more current than pencils. There's even a whole form of writing I'm sure you haven't a clue about - cursive. It's actually super pretty, but it's becoming a cryptic form of communication as it's only taught in some schools now. It may be on the fast track to resting with the dinosaurs. But where was I? Oh yes, jamming.
When we were at the grocery store over the weekend, I noticed the strawberries looked incredibly yummy, so whipping up a few jars of Jam just made sense, and better yet, that activity is full of fine motor life skills (literally everything is a teachable moment around here) - this was a no brainer on some practice for you! Let's do this!
First things first, I had to convince Greta she was not sou chef now or ever, but she is really cute.
Next up, chopping strawberries. A few years back, our cousin Trisha told me about these kid-friendly culinary knives that cut things other than the Play-Doh that most kids learn to cut with. Seriously, they could slice right through an onion but not send us to the ER for stitches. Sold; I'll take two, please! These were the perfect knives for the task at hand, so I set you up with the kid-safe chopping knife, a bowl of freshly washed strawberries, and the cutting board, with the first instruction being to cut the leafy green stem off the strawberries. I realized very quickly your favorite part of helping in the kitchen is eating things that generally aren't supposed to be eaten - remember when we made cupcakes, and you wanted to eat all the eggshells? EVERYTHING goes in your mouth - it keeps me on my toes, for sure. Today's task at hand offered you a delightful treat of leafy green stems. Oye and yuck.
(Side note: If we are learning a new skill I often will record it so I can see your eye and hand placement to better help if we need to adjust the teaching method)
*Baking cupcakes
*Cutting strawberries
Next, we added them to the food processor, where you took great pleasure pushing the button and watching the strawberries turn to mush. While you were excited about this part of the process, jumping and stimming, you also clearly worked up an appetite, as when I walked away to grab a paper towel, you retrieved the chocolate ice cream from the freezer and had it set on the counter when I returned—noted Ad.
After a quick ice cream break, we added all our remaining ingredients and waited a while until, when it was ready, I put them in the jars - and scene.
Addie, you were my sou chef jamming this week in home school. We'll keep practicing those knife skills, but you did great, and I'm very proud of you! I've always loved making Jam, and with you, it was extra sweet, "I hope you like jamming too." ~see what I did there ;)
Love,
Mom
