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      • activating schema
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      • inferring
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      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
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    • environmental print
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    • word building
    • word consciousness
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    • numbers
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    • science experiments for kids
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    • foundations
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      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
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fun with food: learning in the kitchen with kids

home / Activities / cooking / fun with food: learning in the kitchen with kids
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Over the last few years, we’ve had a ton of fun with food over here.ย 

I love food, my kids love food, my husband loves food, and we all really love trying new things and making meals together.

Little do my kiddos know that every time they don their aprons in the kitchen with me, they’re secretly working on their reading, math, science, and so many more important skills while they’re looking at recipes, measuring ingredients, and watching their creation come to life. It’s fun for them, and it’s fun for me.

If parents and teachers can handle a little bit more of a mess and prescribe themselves a extra dose of patience (some can, and some cannot–I totally get that!), toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children–kids of all ages–can all benefit by helping in the kitchen.

Kids don’t even realize they’re learning when they’re cooking.ย  They just think they’re having fun with food!

Here are a few of the ways we have fun with food over here (and sneak in a little bit of learning in the kitchen!):

  • Counting & Sorting: When little ones are interested in something, we’ve got to use it to our teaching advantage, whether it’s sports or crafts or cooking. My youngest always wants to help me prepare dinner, so that’s when I sneak in some counting, sorting, and color-learning!

My tiny Cora loves helping prepare foodย  in the kitchen,

whether it’s cutting or counting or learning about parts of a whole.

 

  • Conducting Experiments: Science in the kitchen? Absolutely!

Kids can learn so much with a little guidance and some direction. . . and with leftover candy, there’s no telling what they can do!

Ice-cream in a bag? Yes–Ziplock Ice-cream was SO much fun!!

They can conduct experiments on Halloween candy. . .

. . . and they can even ‘paint’ with candy!

 

experimenting with leftover candy canes

 

  • Reading:ย  We have followed dozens of recipes that I’ve modified or made more kid-friendly.ย  With larger print, pictures, and clearly defined steps, kids can really work their early literacy skills while having fun with food!

 

Cookie baking. . .

and rhubarb pie-making gave us reason to do some recipe-reading, along with tons of other foods!

 

  • Trying New Things: New textures, new tastes, new smells, and new sounds, food is a super-awesome way to introduce new things to our little ones!

 

You got it– kolhrabi. It’s awesome.

ย Star Fruit— a lot more pretty than kohlrabi and a tad bit sweeter.

But Cora was beaming when she mastered making pancit for the first time!

  • ย Working on Fine Motor Skills: Chopstocks (or tongs) and egg cartons and a few pieces of gummy candy made learning colors, counting, and working fine motor muscles so much sweeter!

Chopsticks, colors, and sorting = FUN with candy

  • Learning Shapes: With some red licorice and shape cards, my kids loved learning their shapes!

super sweet shape snacks

 

  • Celebrating Holidays: Along with great crafts and games and family traditions, holidays also provide yet another reason to have some fun with food!

ย These Spooky Ghosts rocked our Halloween party–

. . . like our fake fingers, eyeballs, and boogies!

  • Creating Patterns: Patterning in crafts or cooking help our kiddos with math and critical thinking skills.

Veggie kabob patterns were a bit more healthy —

ย  but my kiddos totally ‘hearted’ playing with patterns using candy message hearts!

 

  • Researching: Having fun with food also means doing a little bit of research sometimes.

We researched to learn what kind of apples an apple tree produced,

and how to open our first coconut (among many other New For Us Friday foods!).

 

  • Using Imaginations: When they’re given the ‘go’, kids never cease to amaze me with what they can created, and the same thing goes for creating in the kitchen!

Maddy and Owen stretched their brains to create Cora’s bumblebee cupcakes!

And we all had a ‘splash’ creating Owen’s pool party cupcakes, too!

ย Candy Sushi took the cake at Maddy’s birthday party!

 

  • Showing Love for Pets:ย  Our Brady is quite the spoiled pooch–with our attempt at homemade dog treats, my kids not only had fun in the kitchen, they showed their furry brother how much they love him!

Brady loved his homemade dog treats–fun with food for dogs, not humans. (But we all tried them!)

And that’s about it for the Fun with Food round-up!

I am grateful to have been invited by my pal Deborah, of Teach Preschool, to participate in her ABC Round-Up, part of her celebration for reaching 20,000 Facebook likes. WHEW, right?ย  She’s just that awesome, as is her blog. Thank you, Deborah for all you do to promote early learning in fun, hands-on, and worthwhile ways!! Congrats!

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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The National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. 

Organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the competition in your community will inspire middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community, and to build greater trust in others and institutions. 

Learn how to bring The National Civics Bee to YOUR community now: https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

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Click the link in my bio to learn more and to grab a TON of free resources for families and educators. 

This yearโ€™s registration deadline is approaching, but you still have time! 

What better way to get students to engage in civics and contribute to their communities? 

https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

#CivicsBuzz #strongcommunities #middleschool #civicsbee #teachersofIG
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Have you heard of The National Civics Bee? #ad 

The National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. 

Organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the competition in your community will inspire middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community, and to build greater trust in others and institutions. 

Learn how to bring The National Civics Bee to YOUR community now: https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

Iโ€™m thrilled to have partnered with @mom_select and @civicsbuzz for this exciting campaign! โ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’™

#CivicsBuzz #middleschoolers #teachersofIG #communitypartners
View
Open
Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
View
Open
How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia

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