The Inspiration for Chocolate Club in Schools
Walking through the cacao estate
It was my visit to Ecuador that inspired the idea to further share my love of all things chocolate with children. Education these days is a challenge for youngsters and I wanted to give the children a new way of learning about the origins and history of chocolate, through the eyes and voices of the native people.
I approached a couple of local schools regarding offering an after school chocolate club. I was delighted when my idea met with a warm welcome and over this term will deliver a wide range of topics including The History of Chocolate - did you know that the chocolate we love today started as a spiced dark chocolate drink made with water by the ancient Mayans.
Monillios which were made by the locals in Ecuador, for the children to make their own spiced hot chocolate with these traditional whisks.
Click the link to make your own traditional style hot chocolate or a chocolate chocolate stirrer
To make your own hot chocolate follow the recipe
The history of chocolate session inspired one of my students to run an experiment at home using their chocolate velvetiser to make his usual drink. He then compared it to my version made with the chocolate stirrer they created in the lesson, how wonderful is that? I have to say I did feel slightly smug that mine won hands down!
There is nothing like being able to give a first-hand account of the finer details of cacao production, which can only be learned when surrounded by experts. In Ecuador, I visited local crafts people who make the traditional monillio whisks from local wood. The children were fascinated by this story and used the whisk I brought back to make their chocolate drink.
For me, this is what teaching is all about, passing on my knowledge to be able to change children’s perspective on what they think chocolate is and uncover all the hidden layers.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be getting inspiration from the changing seasons making chocolate leaves and creating chocolate tree decorations, building on the skills learnt so far.