SAN ANTONIO – A pre-kindergarten teacher at Cardenas Early Childhood Center is taking a fast-food favorite and transforming it into a learning experience for his young students.

Three weeks ago, pre-K 3 teacher Javier Rubio built a one-of-a-kind play area for his students: a fully-equipped Whataburger restaurant. The area includes a kitchen, tables, play food, a cash register and more. Through this, students will learn vocabulary, social skills and numbers.

“I have some students, they’re a little shy during carpet time, but once they’re in [the Whataburger play area] they’re talking and I’m like, wow, you wouldn’t even imagine they were capable of speaking and just learning,” Rubio said.

Rubio encourages other teachers to add a fun element to their classroom. He says it gets the students more interested and excited about learning.