Cider Making
We live in a state with a long history of apple growing. Therefore, it seemed appropriate to find a way to do something applied and academic with apples that would be appealing to our students. In 2014 we were awarded a small grant to purchase a durable cider press for the school. We chose a stainless steel Amish-made model that is well designed. It has proven its worth over the last four years.
Each year a different group of students join with the HOPE staff to gather apples, crush them into pulp and then squeeze the juice out of the pulp to make cider. Cider making and sharing is something all our students look forward to in the Fall. |
Cider Learning
Cider making presents opportunities for staff and students to integrate hands-on learning with classroom learning to the betterment of everyone. In the first picture 1st graders learned the significance of data gathering and graphing (Team Imagination). The teacher recorded what the students had learned. In the second picture students learned about volume and weight measurements (HOPE workshop and classroom). Because the learning seems real and immediate, students remain engaged throughout these kinds of lessons.