New England Clam Chowder

Yesterday was a TON of fun. A TON of fun. I am exhausted. Wiped out. I am sure the students were too, since for the rest of the day after the celebration, the room was incredibly quiet.

We had four rotations that included:
1: Making toys that were used in Colonial times. This included the whirly gig (a string and round shaped spinner that whirs when you get it to spin) and cat's cradle. WHO KNEW that Cat's Cradle would be the hit of the day. I have had to take away strings of yarn because the students are addicted to it! I am a Cat's Cradle expert, so the boys and girls are trying to trick me with new combinations. It is a riot!

2: Callifgraphy and weaving of the god's eyes. This was also a hit. Students made several of them with the popsicle sticks. We had large and small and a pretty big selection of yarn. It was a great time.

3. Cooking-this was fun. The students pressed tea into cheese cloth to make a tea bag and also cut apples for apple crisp. I was amazed at how a simple recipe could make the students so enthralled with cooking! AND eating!

4. Newspaper printing-students stamped a title and wrote about the event.

Clam Chowder. THE CHOWDER! It was a fantastic recipe! I am impressed with how well it turned out and even further impressed with how much the students ate! My favorite conversation of the day?
Student: "I don't like clam chowder"
Me: "You should try it anyway"
Student after trying it "You know, I don't like it normally, but there is just something about it that is great! Can I have more?"

AH. Fifth graders!

 Here is the recipe for all of you that asked...
Clam Chowder recipe:


** You can double the recipe for each pot:

The below recipe is for ONE 51 oz can of clams from Costco



1. Drain clams, reserve juice

2. In the pan, heat the (pre cooked) bacon *1 package and ½ onion (or so, the exact amount of onion doesn’t matter) with a stick of butter until the onions are clear. (on low heat)

3. Slowly add in 2-3 tablespoons of flour, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. This makes a thick mixture

4. Add potatoes (6 prebaked  potatoes with the skin on) and  reserved clam juice.
5. Simmer until the mixture is hot add a little of the milk if it is too thick.

6. Add clams and continue to add the full quart of milk/ flour for thicker consistency. You can also add 1/2 quart of milk and a  1/2 quart of half and half for  thicker/richer soup.


Thanks for all the volunteers that came in to share time, adventure and fun! We appreciate you! The day was fantastic!

Now...off to reclaim the title for Cat's Cradle.