Baking Bread Together
Preschool Baking and Measuring Activity
Recipes are great for measuring activities!
For the past week, we have been exploring different ways to measure things. We have measured our hands, feet and shoes with unifix blocks, we have used measuring cups to measure dry ingredients and then liquids, and finally we are measuring all sorts of ingredients to make a yummy pumpkin treat! Make preschool baking activities fun and easy for your child to experience! Here’s how to have fun baking with your preschooler today!
Getting Started & Prep
To help keep his interest, I decided to take it down to his level, literally put it all on a small table just his size. Also, I hand wrote the recipe with giant check mark boxes so he could look at it with me and learn how to check off items. I love adding side work for skills without making it appear that way! I put everything I could out the night before as an open invitation for when he got up in the morning. I had the spice jars, sacks, and non perishable ingredients, un-measured, laid out on his work table and then we set to work reading the ingredient list and looking at our measuring cups. I kept it quick and simple since I hope it will be something we do often now! Here is a picture of us getting ready to combine all the ingredients after they were measured!
Following the Recipe Together!
All the ingredients were put into little bowls so that he could have the fun of dumping them in the big bowl. Lots of good handwork and practical life skills with scooping pumpkin, squeezing honey from the honey bear (who doesn’t think those are cute!), and cracking eggs. Yes, we cracked eggs together! Why not let him? We cracked them in a separate bowl so we could fish out egg shells if needed but all in all, OK! It is important to remember that learning involves messes and it is best to plan for them and not worry about them if you want to bake with kids! Not to many messes, but we had to wash our hands after the eggs. We also got to talk about food safety!
Adding dry ingredients!
Spooning Pumpkin!
Squeezing Honey!
Cracking eggs (not great for picture taking)!
Stir, stir, stir!
Stirring, stirring and more stirring, I ended up taking over after a bit just to make sure everything was combined well enough. Then we dumped into the greased pan and put it in the oven. All the while we went through our check list until the last one which was let cool and enjoy! Don’t worry, the final check was made and then made again. Yum! Lots of great hand work and practical life skills are found in these types of activities too!
He stayed with it from start to finish and I believe it was because I made the extra effort to keep him involved every step of the way and bring the project into his comfort space.
How do you bake with your kids? I love your comments!
You might also enjoy…
Baking Grain Free Together
Measuring Hands & Feet Simple Activity
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Nancy
June 25, 2013 at 11:26 amUsually, I’m in the kitchen making something, the kids figure out something is up and come running into the kitchen to help me. It gets a little nuts with two kids in our tiny kitchen so I try to only bake with one kid at a time. Sometimes, one or the other will ask to make something specific and we’ll do that as well, getting all the supplies out and talking about the recipe before we get started.
Angela @ Teaching Mama
June 25, 2013 at 11:55 amThis is great!! I love how it teaches following directions and much more! And you get a delicious product in the end!
littlebins
June 25, 2013 at 1:37 pmThanks Angela! I like to multi task with activities for sure!
Sheryl @ Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds
June 25, 2013 at 7:03 pmLove the checklist! 🙂
littlebins
June 26, 2013 at 12:28 amThanks, I wanted to add another element and I htink he felt pretty grown up with it 🙂
Jaida Ross
June 26, 2013 at 12:16 amI do not have children at home, but during the school year where I work, we have a cooking activity every Wednesday for breakfast and again at snack so both preschool sessions can do the activity. I make a picture recipe for the children who cannot read. For instance, we make happy-face bagels. I draw each ingredient the children use, cucumber, tomato, apple, bagel, etc… then I draw the amount used, two halved cucumber slices, etc…Everything the children use and do for the recipe is drawn out for them to follow. Every child makes his or her own bagel face from heating the bagel in the electric skillet, spreading on the cream cheese and arranging the vegetables for the face on top of the bagel. We make french toast and pancakes with fresh fruit, oatmeal with apples and cinnamon, scrambled eggs and toast, breakfast pizza and bagel faces. Before the children arrive, I tape the recipe to the wall so the children know what they will be cooking when they arrive that day. I love cooking in the classroom. Besides teaching the children about good nutrition, it teaches math, science, social skills, creativity and fine motor skills.
littlebins
June 26, 2013 at 12:27 amWonderful! I love the picture ideas and will definitely try that next time too. Cooking and baking are not my strong points but I am hoping to get in a regular habit of it this summer and do a weekly project. Thank you for the awesome comment!
stacy
September 21, 2013 at 8:19 pmSuch a great idea, you are creating great chefs of the future.