Guest Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 On monday we have fish in our builders tray, requested by the children after a discussion during news time about a dead fish found on a beach on holiday. I have bought a lobster, 5 mackeral and a bass from the fishmonger, I purposely asked for the mackeral not to be gutted. My question is would you let the children cut them open to have a look! The thought is making me feel a bit squeemish to be honest. Claire x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 I really don't know, there's two thoughts really. Would it offend vegetarians? would it be a learning experience (almost certainly) what do you plan to do with them afterwards? Are you going to boil the lobster and see it change colour? Mackerel is a very smelly fish - hope you've got some good classroom air fresheners! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upsy Daisy Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 My 'gut' feeling (sorry!) is that I would let them if they wanted to. I would be really careful not to push it at all. Maybe it would feel better if you were gutting them in order to cook and taste them? Then the motivation behind it would be more constructive. My kids were fascinated when we did it. The youngest was five and she was right in there wanting to know what all of the bits were. Pity I couldn't really recognise anything much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Hi Cait, Hadnt thought about cooking up the lobster for colour change, what a good idea. The smell we have linked to using their senses, so we are looking forward to lots of rich language use about texture and smell. I think the children would be facinated to see if their were any other fish in the mackerals tummies, as the children have been asking lots of questions about what happens to food in our tummies! I think we will just put out the fish in our builders tray with ice and then go with what the children want. We dont have any vegetarian children, so we should be ok on that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dottyp Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 My first thought is that this investigation may be a bit beyond 'pre-school experience'!!! Disection and investigation usually comes with cutting up frogs and sheep eye balls etc in secondary school and even then I can remember one girl fainting and one being sick!!! It could possibly give more sensitive children nightmares! But hey-only my opinion dottyp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 My first thought is that this investigation may be a bit beyond 'pre-school experience'!!! Disection andinvestigation usually comes with cutting up frogs and sheep eye balls etc in secondary school and even then I can remember one girl fainting and one being sick!!! It could possibly give more sensitive children nightmares! But hey-only my opinion dottyp Hi Dotty, You have raised some really good points! I am all for following childrens interests, but my concerns are very similar to yours. I dont want to scare any of the children, but also I dont want to ignore their curiosity. I will have to see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 I remember this being discussed before. We went out to our local fishmongers and bought some prawns and mackerel, we watched the fishmonger gut the 'blood and guts'. we tok them back and investigated them. Then the cook came out and filleted them with the childen watching closely, he also prepared the prawns for cooking too, he then cooked them (sadly in the kitchen before we had our small oven for the children) and then they tasted them. I have soem great photos, the children looked in the open tummies and opened the mouths of the fish to see their tongues, 90% of the children were facinated. It also linked into what happens to the food we eat, we have a body book that shows the journey of food through the body. You can imagine that the page where the poo comes out is very well worn!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dottyp Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Hi cupcake 'out of the box' ideas can always be debated, even though we have the best intentions in mind! Would it be an idea to put a note out for parents as the children arrive on the day explaining the activity you have prepared and should any parent not wish their child to take part, let you know before they leave their child that morning. That way you are taking into account parent wishes and can be put towards your planning etc. dottyp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 I remember this being discussed before. We went out to our local fishmongers and bought some prawns and mackerel, we watched the fishmonger gut the 'blood and guts'. we tok them back and investigated them. Then the cook came out and filleted them with the childen watching closely, he also prepared the prawns for cooking too, he then cooked them (sadly in the kitchen before we had our small oven for the children) and then they tasted them. I have soem great photos, the children looked in the open tummies and opened the mouths of the fish to see their tongues, 90% of the children were facinated. It also linked into what happens to the food we eat, we have a body book that shows the journey of food through the body. You can imagine that the page where the poo comes out is very well worn!!! LOL i think all children are facinated by Poo! A parent bought us a book once, all about bottom noises, and like yours is a well worn read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 It's a great topic.........................our children were absolutely fascinated by the fish we had and were very happy to investigate all parts of it.They opened the mouths to see what was inside and looked at the gills, so we explained about the fishes breathing system.And yes, the guts were exciting too.......................I actually think children, given the opportunity, are a lot less squeamish than we take them for......................look how many of them LOVE to squash bugs or pull worms up out of the garden ( and yes, we do tell them that we try not to hurt living things!) I can see lots of rainbow fish pictures after this.......................glittery scales and beautiful colours.Bits of floaty netting to catch fish in,and some great photographs! One of our parents told us it was something his child talked about for weeks afterwards , and still mentions. Good for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Thanks Narnia, you have reminded me to dig out my copy of rainbow fish, which will be a great extension to the activity. Dotty, I will take your suggestion about informing parents in the morning, however I wont give the option for them to not let their children participate, as I feel the children will be able to decide for themselves, our parents are quite pro active in letting their children decide, its me thats feeling a bit squeemish, but hey ho, I might overcome these feelings after Monday! Claire x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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