Playing Restaurant

Ok - you will probably get two posts by me today...if I can get the week in review post up tonight...but I wanted to do a separate post to show our restaurant game that I got set up this week for Seth!

Seth has always loved playing restaurant so when I saw in the MFW 1st grade curriculum the idea of setting up a restaurant to practice math skills I jumped all over that one!  I took some time to put some effort in this because 1) I know he will LOVE it and 2) I see so many potentials for using this for learning so many skills and 3)Aaron and Alyssa are going to want to do this as well so I see us doing this for quite some time!

NOTE: On all these printables I have listed below, feel free to click on the image to get the full size image to print off and use for yourself if you would like to.

I made menus for our restaurant.  Here is what it looks like.  I made several copies and laminated each copy.

I then made a couple of waiter tab sheets.  I printed these off and laminated them as well.  The cool thing about laminating is that you can use a dry erase marker with them and wipe off and re-use over and over.  Seth (or anyone acting as the waiter) will make tally marks beside the food items when the customers order.

I then made the customer check tabs.  I made a sheet of six of them and then cut them apart and laminated them (once again so that they can be used over and over again with a dry erase marker).  I used the Sunshine Cafe logo from the tabs that came with the curriculum.  The reason why I made different ones was because I wanted to be able to have Seth add more than two numbers.  The ones provided with the curriculum only provided spaces for two numbers to be added.  I didn't want our restaurant to be that limited.

Today I introduced the restaurant game to the kids.  Alyssa and Aaron were the customers.  I acted as the hostess/manager and Seth was the waiter in training.

I welcomed Alyssa and Aaron to the cafe and seated them and gave them their menus.  Then Seth came and took their order.

I got a cute video of Alyssa giving her order.  (Remember if you are viewing this post by email click here to go view it online)

He then brought them their food (we used our foam animal shapes today...LOL!)

And then he had to fill out the guest checks to figure out how much they owe (where the "school" part comes in - LOL! He still loved it!!)

First he had to label two checks - one for Alyssa and one for Aaron.  He then had to write the prices for each of their items on their check.  I had him use his cube counters to add up the total.  He made a group of cubes for each number and then added the groups together to get his total!  (WOW - he was adding more than two numbers together today!!).

That is as far as we took it today!  I have a whole bunch of play money ready to go for when we start focusing on counting money.  I will be able to have the customers give him money and then have him figure out the change they need!

Then we we start focusing on telling time I am going to put a play clock on the wall and I am going to add to the menu what times of the day certain items are available.  I will set the time on the clock before we welcome in the guests and he will have to determine if what they are ordering is available at that time!

Oh this is going to be so much fun!!!

In the next couple of weeks I will get everything set up for our store as well :-) and Seth will learn how to be a cashier LOL!  (Or he can be the kid sent to the store with a list from Mom and money and have to figure out if he has enough money).  Oh there are so many ideas in my head!  LOL!!  But what a FUN FUN FUN way to learn!  Don't you agree?!?!

Until next time,
Kellie