Art and cooking with kids.

Some of you may know that I've been doing a little teaching recently of art and cooking to primary school kids. South Green Juniours in Billericay wanted to inspire creative writing, so we made edible currency for an imaginary land with bread dough.

The kids coloured the doughs with either fresh beetroot, spinach, sundried tomato or roast carrot. They were given the choice to flavour the dough with fresh herbs (mint was popular.) or a few spices. (Cumin, fennel, poppy and sesame seeds.) They decided the name for the currency, it's denominations and it could be any shape they liked. They also decided on a name for the land and it's people and we discuss what everything might look like. A unicycle made from an upside down lolliop is a personal favourite. Also if they eat the bread, does that then make them the currency?.........

As the school was celebrating Chinese New Year, we made edible currency again but as Chinese Lucky Money. Lucky Money is given in red (most lucky colour) envelopes at weddings, birthdays and other happy occasions, like New Year. I bought envelopes from China Town and the kids made currency to go inside. They also wrote wishes to go inside too.