Kitchen Math
Serving Up Smoothies
Going to the store to pick out fruit ingredients for making smoothies. My favorite recipe is to add two cups of milk to a blender, and to that add 1/2 cup of strawberries, 1 or 2 sliced bananas, and 1/2 cup of yogurt. It is so tasty, and the kids drink it so fast. Kids love to see all the fruit they chose being transformed into a ...(read more)
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Continue Halloween fun in the kitchen by toasting pumpkin seeds with your preschooler! They love sorting through the pulp to dig out seeds. Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut open the pumpkin and use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the insides. Separate the seeds from the stringy core. Rinse the seeds. 2. In a small saucepan, add the seeds ...(read more)
Mixing Colors
Teach your child how to mix two colors together to make another color (e.g. yellow+blue makes green and red+blue makes purple). To begin, fill up a couple of clear glasses with water. Then, allow your kids to add drops of food coloring to make your color mixes -- you can use this part to teach older kids basic addition. The kids will have fun experimenting -- make ...(read more)
Homemade Playdough -- No Cooking Required!
Into a large bowl, put 3 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 2 tablespoons of warm water, and 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable oil. Knead all ingredients together and form into balls (this is a great sensory development skill for younger children). Then gently work in a few drops of food coloring to create colored playdough. You can mix colors together to teach children about using primary ...(read more)
Homemade Milkshakes
Introduce your child to the fun of cooking and some early math skills with milkshake making. They can help count the scoops of ice cream, spoon in the fudge, and turn on/off the blender (supervised, of course). The best part, though, is sharing your creation.(read more)
Ants on a Log
Children love to be in the kitchen. This is a simple sanck recipe, for children to make. Cut celery stalks in to 3 inch pieces. Let child spread peanut butter into center of stalk and add raisins to create ants! If child has a peanut allergy, you could use cream cheese and create a "snowy" log! (read more)
Magic Mud
This is a fun and messy project for kids. Get out as many bowls as you want colors. Fill each bowl with a several heaping spoonfuls of corn starch, mix with a little water and food coloring. Keep adding water until it's soupy. If you let it sit even for a second it will start to harden, as soon as it gets moved with hands or ...(read more)
Pancake Letters and Numbers
If you are making pancakes for breakfast, try putting the batter in a squeeze bottle (i.e. an empty, washed out plastic ketchup bottle). Make letters or numbers in the pan. Let your child request the letter or number he or she wants for breakfast! Use the chance to talk about the letter or number.(read more)
Miniature Apple Pies
Here's a deliciously fun recipe that you and your kids can make together: Put one refrigerated biscuit on a cookie sheet and push it down flat. Put a spoonful of peeled and chopped apples on top of the biscuit. Mix one cup of brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon in a separate bowl. Sprinkle one spoonful of the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top ...(read more)
Mealtime Math
Introduce basic math concepts of addition and subtraction at meal or snack time, and maybe even get your child to eat his vegetables, too! This activity can be done with any food that has pieces, such as carrot sticks, apple slices, or crackers. First have your child count how many carrot sticks (or whatever food) they have on their plate. Then say, "OK, you have 5 carrot ...(read more)
Dough Art
(If using frozen dough, defrost in a large oiled bowl covered with a towel to prevent from drying out; this takes up to 2-4 hours so plan accordingly.) Once the dough, either fresh or defrosted, has risen, punch it down and divide into portions for each child. Provide a lightly floured work area for them and aprons if they tend to be messy. Have them create something out of the ...(read more)
Finger Jello
Most kids love food they can eat with their fingers and if the item is a bright, vivid color, all the better! Finger Jello fits both those attributes perfectly. Just grab a couple of hungry kids and would-be cooks help. Then, combine 3 boxes of Jello, preferably the same color, (4-serving size), 4 1-oz packets of unflavored gelatin, and 4 cups of boiling water in a large heatproof ...(read more)
Fruit Kabobs
Let your child slice some of his or her favorite fruit into bite size pieces with a plastic knife. Your child can then put the fruit onto chop sticks or wooden skewers. This is a great time to practice colors and counting. Enjoy the fruit kabobs immediately, or cover and put in the fridge. Good for playdates, too!(read more)
Grape Surprise
1. Mix the peanut butter, dry milk, and honey in a small bowl until a soft dough is formed. 2. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Flatten the balls into circles about 2 inches in diameter. 3. Have your child place a grape in the center of each circle, and wrap the dough around each grape. 4. Pinch the dough to seal the grape inside. ...(read more)
Fruit Shapes
Cut a watermelon or peeled apple into thin slices. Give your child small metal cookie cutters and let him cut out shapes from the slices. As a reward for his hard work, he gets to eat the shapes! A good alternative to the fruit would be to use thin slices of bread or cheese. (read more)
Fruit Shakes
Here is a delicious and healthy fruit snack. Begin by chopping 5 dates (or any fruit that you have on hand). Then take 1 cup of vanilla soy milk, 2 tablespoon of honey, 1 regular container of yogurt, and put all ingredients, including the fruit, into a blender. (The kids love to help with the measuring and pouring.) Blend until it's a runny mixture. ...(read more)
Making Popovers
Kids love to cook and this recipe is easy and rewarding. Let your preschooler pour ingredients into the bowl and help mix them all together. Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. While preheating the oven, put your ungreased muffin pan in the oven so that it warms up. Next, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the microwave until just liquified, about 20 seconds. ...(read more)
Yummy Kebobs
Carefully push a skewer through the ingredients, starting with a piece of apple, then a marshmallow, then banana, then another marshmallow. Spread a spoonful of peanut butter on top of the marshmallow. Now, skewer a piece of banana and another marshmallow (with more peanut butter) and finish with a piece of apple. Repeat with a second skewer. Makes 2 kebobs.(read more)
Top Chef
Let your child dress up in their chef's hat and apron, and then turn them loose in the kitchen! That's right... get out a large mixing bowl and spoon, and let your child select things from the pantry and the refrigerator to create their own recipe. (Of course, you won't actually eat it!) During the process, you can teach your child how to pour, crack eggs, measure, etc. You ...(read more)
Cookie Math
The next time you bake sugar cookies, use this activity to help your child work on counting skills and learn the significance of numbers. For example, your child can add three chocolate chips to a cookie because he is 3 years old, and he can create a cookie with 5 chocolate chips for his sister who is 5. Create a whole batch -- one for every member of ...(read more)
Tator Boats
Let your little one(s) help make this fun side dish! Cut the cooked potato in half lengthwise and scoop the insides into a bowl. Mash in the cheese, milk, butter, salt, and pepper, then spoon the mixture back into the potato skin.Warm for 2 minutes on high in the microwave. Decorate the halves with an extra sprinkle of cheese, then add carrot-stick masts and red- or yellow-pepper sails.(read more)
Cheesy ABC and 123 Pretzels
Little helpers can practice measuring and pouring while making these pretzels with you, and they will love shaping the pretzels into letters, numbers, or any shapes they choose. 1) Preheat oven to 425. 2) Lightly spray a cookie sheet with vegetable oil spray. 3) Put 1 1/2 cups warm water into measuring cup and sprinkle 1 TB dry yeast and 1 TB sugar onto water. 4) In a large ...(read more)
Microwave S'mores
There's no need to go camping for this quick and tasty treat! You can have your preschooler assemble these. Begin by letting your child break a graham cracker in half and a chocolate bar into half or thirds. Then, help your child place one graham cracker half on the plate and put a large marshmallow on top. Microwave for about 30 seconds -- watch it carefully ...(read more)
Hand Cookie
This works well with a gingerbread or sugar cookie recipe. Prepare cookie recipe as you normally would. When you roll it out, instead of using cookie cutters, place your child's clean hand on the dough and cut around it. Use a butter knife or a dull utensil because little ones wiggle a lot. Bake as you normally would and enjoy a hand cookie!!(read more)
Homemade Playdough
Mix together the flour, salt, water, food coloring, cream or tartar, and cooking oil in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture forms a large 'ball' and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove the ball from the heat. Once it is cool to touch, knead it until it is smooth. Your playdough will then be ready for playtime ...(read more)
Fall Apple Crisp
Fall is here, and there is a wonderful selection of apples at the store. Have your child help you make an apple crisp -- a wonderfully delicious fun autumn treat! Recipe: 1. Peel and slice 8 big apples. Have your child arrange them on a 9x13 baking dish. 2. Combine in large bowl - 1 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cup flour, 2/3 ...(read more)
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