The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

Making Apple Cider: An Early Childhood Tradition

“Nursery classrooms have been learning how to make apple cider since 2011, when classes were held at Woodlawn. They made apple cider for Woodlawn’s Fall Harvest Festival, recalls Nursery teacher Maureen Movrich. The project was brought over to the rest of the Early Childhood division at Earl Shapiro Hall in 2013.

“The transition was then shared with all N–K classrooms [who] also have their big buddies join the process,” Movrich says. “There are many learning points that begin even before the pressing,” Movrich says. “This includes counting, sorting, and tasting apples, researching recipes, and making connections to children’s family experiences with fall apple picking trips to their school community.”

Nursery teacher Kiran Younus’ classroom participated in the project to learn about machines. “[The cider press] is a simple machine that was a fun experience which helped the children really understand the process of making cider,” Younus says.

Children brought apples from apple picking with their families. They sliced them with an apple corer. They were broken into small groups with a parent volunteer helping them use the press. “It was a lot of work to get a pitcher of apple cider!” Younus says, “Children decided to enjoy at room temperature or warmed up.”