Community Meal

Created by Rachel Steinberg, February 2017

Applies to: Life Skills, Relationships, Social Awareness, Understanding and Participating in Community

Purpose: Collectively prepare a meal to be enjoyed as a community

Objectives:

• Increase awareness and understanding of meal preparation skills, including cooking and meal prep techniques
• Increase bodily awareness and ability to work together in a small, shared space with organizing visual supports
• Practice social skills while eating together (example: committing at the start of meal to staying at the table until dinner is complete)
• Increase ability to dialogue and self-advocate surrounding preferences and/or aversions regarding food
• Making and offering food to guests

Materials needed:

• Food (example: pancake mix, eggs, fruit, bacon, sausage, etc.)
• Kitchenware/Utensils
• Timers
• Sonos/music
• Visual Supports

Activity Steps
1.  Organizing: From a list, ask members to identify two food tasks each that they will be responsible for preparing (example: making pancakes, cutting the berries, setting the table*)

Consider setting the climate by putting on soothing and organizing music

 *see ‘Setting the Table’ lesson plan  

2.  Executing: Guide the members in their meal prep responsibilities (example: having each member choose a space in the kitchen where they can set up their stations. Aiding by facilitating a conversation on what utensils/kitchenware they need to execute their tasks, and where to find them. Repeating this for the cooking. Using timers as tools. Asking guests to help with tasks.)

3.  Eating: Sit down at the table all together

Make a meal based commitment or two (example: Staying at the table until all members have finished their dinner, and/or rating the meal with verbal or nonverbal strategies, and/or saying a gratitude at the start or end of meal, etc.)

Facilitate conversation*, or sit together in limbic resonance