Cooking Projects For Preschoolers

Ok, let's get down to the good stuff.  We know how much children love to do the things us adults do. We also know how picky our little ones can be when it comes to food.

So, why not get creative? Two birds. One stone.

We find that when planning and executing cooking projects in the classroom and at home it helps them to be more willing to try the food they are preparing. They yearn to do these "adult" tasks with us. My favorite way to entice them to try new things is to offer the cooking project as a lesson; but they can only do the lesson if they take a bite.

You would be surprised how many children will try new foods this way.  Slicing cucumbers and carrots? No problem. Cutting celery and bananas? Yes please.

We've even had parents come in with foods from home that their picky eaters refused to give a second glance, and beg that we somehow, someway turn them into believers. I would have to say that by the end of the school year, we had a 90% success rate.

Try it out!  If it doesn't work, at least you have fun activity ideas to share with your children. Trust me, cooking is a great bonding experience 😉

1 - Pizza Bagels!

(Image courtesy of YouTube)

Oh man, is this a good one. Kids love making these so much that they go home and immediately send their parents out for the ingredients to make with them. We make these every year at the beginning of the school year to break the ice with our students. I mean, who doesn't like pizza? Or bagels? This is easily one of their favorite projects.

What you will need:

Plan Bagels, of course (cut in half) For children we use mini bagels, but you can can use any

1 - jar of your favorite pizza sauce

Your favorite toppings (optional)

Mozzarella cheese (grated)

Directions:

You can do this one of two ways; Bake or microwave. We prefer to microwave here at school.
If baking, set your oven to 375.

Spread pizza sauce evenly over each bagel half.

Add toppings and cheese

Microwave on high for 25 seconds or bake for 10 minutes (or until cheese is a bubbly gooey goodness)

Voila.

2 - Piggy Pancakes

(Image courtesy of Allrecipes)

This goes perfectly after reading, "If You Give A Pig A Pancake" by Laura Numeroff.

What you will need:

Your favorite pancake mix. Hint: Frozen pancakes will work in a pinch if you don't feel like cooking 😉

Blueberries or chocolate chips for the eyes and a banana for the snout

Directions:

Prepare pancakes according to package instructions. If you prefer to add ears you can cut a prepared pancake into ears.

Place one small pancake in the middle of the place for the face.  Add the banana for the snout and blueberries or chocolate chips for the eyes.

And just like that, you have a piggy pancake. Top with syrup if you so choose and enjoy!

3 - Eggs In A Mug

(Image courtesy of frugalhausfra.com)

What you will need:

An egg, because what would eggs in a mug be without the egg 😄 Though, if you so desire use egg whites

A mug

Veggies and or meats (cooked) of choice (Optional)

Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)

Cooking Spray

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Lightly spray the inside of the mug

Crack egg into mug and microwave on high for 1 minute.  Add desired veggies, meats, and cheese. Return to microwave and cook for another 30 seconds or until eggs are cooked through.

Let cool and chow down!

4 - Easy Cheesy Quesadilla

(Image Courtesy of AllRecipes.com)

What you will need:

(2) Tortillas

Shredded Sharp Cheddar.

Cooking Spray

Directions:

Lightly spray your plate

Top one tortilla with as much cheese as your little heart desires

Feel free to add meats or veggies if you see fit

Cover with second tortilla

Microwave on high for one minute or until cheese is melted

Cut into fours and it's always wise to have sour cream and or salsa on hand.  They are a nice touch to an already fabulous munchie.



Enjoy!

Raising Leaders and Thought Provokers: The Montessori Way

The distinctive approach behind the Montessori Method is to encourage individuality and creative thinking.  This design was constructed by an Italian doctor by the name of Maria Montessori, who set out to observe children of all ages and discover their particular learning styles.

Here are just a few things a Montessori classroom has to offer its students:

The classroom is devised for children of different ages.  For example, in a Primary class, you will find children ages 3 years – 6 years.  The younger children learn from the older children, while the older children aid the younger with the concepts that they have already grasped.  According to the American Montessori Society (AMS) “This arrangement also mirrors the real world, where individuals work and socialize with people of all ages and dispositions.”

The child’s mind during the first six years of life is like a sponge.  They absorb everything around them much easier than us adults.  Languages are especially encouraged during this time frame.  It is their greatest window of opportunity.  Just think how hard it is for you to learn another language at your current age.  A young child can learn several!

Every Montessori classroom you visit has its own unique construction.  Teachers love to add their special touch, but you will see it is done in such a way that the end result is the same.  That being said you have four core areas of the class.  Those include Language, Math, Sensorial, and Practical Life.  Art, Science, and Geography have their places as well.

Every activity has a built in control of error which encourages critical thinking at every level.  Students will recognize, correct, and learn from their mistakes.  This will also instill that self confidence that we all want for our future generations.

Another unique feature in the Montessori community is the emphasis on conflict resolution.  The children are encouraged to resolve their issues in a more diplomatic and peaceful manner.  This will plant the roots needed to carry them throughout life and develop into the great leaders we are sure they will become.

Potty Training...Dun Dun Duuuuuuun!

So, it's that time of year again.  All of the parents are getting ready to send their littles back to school, or in some cases this is the first time for many. They're out buying uniforms, lunch boxes, and school supplies.

Then, there are the OTHERS.  You know who you are.  The ones who are desperately trying to get their preschooler potty trained before the new school year begins.  You take your child to the bathroom fifty thousand times a day in hopes that once, just ONCE they'll actually go this time.  Only for them to pull up their pants, walk into the living room and have an accident all over your brand new carpet.

You went shopping for all of the Princess or Spider Man underwear you could find, but NOTHING works. You threw away just as many, because who wants to clean all that?

Here are a few tips to getting your child on the right track to potty training success!

Start early

I know it sounds crazy, but give them some credit.  They are capable of far more than it seems. Buy a child sized potty. Introduce the two of them and get acquainted.  They'll be spending a lot of time together over the next few months. Some parents favor the potty ring that fits over the toilet accompanied with a stool for easier seating.

Consistency is key

Make regular trips to the restroom. Don't get discouraged if they already had an accident.  Go. Keep trying.  Allow them to be independent by undressing on their own before mounting that intimidating potty. This is a major life event for them.  It's a pretty big deal.

Rewards

I'm not a huge fan of rewards, but I made an exception with my child in this department.  He loved hot wheels cars and thank goodness those were cheap. Lets face it though, I would have spent every last dime if he would just...use...the...potty. With all of the bribes made, pleading for him to use the potty as opposed to the floor, he had enough cars to cover his entire bedroom floor. Ok, well close enough.

Take a trip to the dollar store for one toy of their choice. What child doesn't love the dollar store?

So, if we're perfectly honest here, we all know that potty training is tough. Take these opportunities to bond. I know, I know.  Bonding in the bathroom during their "business" sounds strange, but what else are you going to do?  Talk together, sing their favorite songs, read a book. Whatever it takes to make it a better experience for all of you.

Good luck!

Develop longer focus and attention through Practical Life activities

Do you get tired of seeing your child always gravitating to the Practical Life (PL) area?  Well, I'm here to tell you, that it is not necessarily a bad thing for them.  Did you know that activities such as transferring, spooning, scooping, and washing dishes are beneficial to their learning process? <---Yes! I said washing dishes.

Practical Life.  The area of the classroom that not many understand.

This isn't about "playing" as so many would like to think.  PL offers many interesting ways for children to develop necessary skills like hand-eye coordination, longer focus, and attention span.

WHAAAAAAT???  "They do all of that?"

Why yes. They do, actually. Every activity in PL has an important function.  Tweezers?  Excellent for pincer grip, which inevitably aids in proper handling of a pencil. Table washing? Focus, focus, focus! (Sorry, I didn't mean to shout) You know that child in the classroom that spends fifteen minutes a day washing the table? When have you ever seen a 3 and 4 year old focus on ANYTHING for that long?

"Whoa!  I never thought of it that way."

That's OK.  Not many do.  PL is the foundation of the Montessori classroom.  These exercises provide a host of other valuable assets to the child.  Besides improving focus, attention span, and hand-eye coordination, they help in developing control, independence, care for self and environment, as well as order.

Activities are also developed to work left to right. Orderly thought patterns, perhaps?  Maybe.

You too, can do these activities at home with your child. Let them help you in the kitchen.  Hand them a broom. Guess what?  They can even assist in setting the table.  Children want to imitate what we adults can do.  Allow for extra time in the morning and let them dress themselves.  You will be surprised what your little one can accomplish.

Make and Take One Hundred Chain

That is what we call it in our classroom.  This is a number sequencing work that the children love mainly for the fact that they get to take it home and share with their families.

There are a few layers to this activity which include different areas of curriculum in a Primary Montessori classroom.  We're talking Practical Life, Art, and Math, all wrapped into one beautiful package. Let us not forget hand/eye coordination and an activity that encourages focus.

I mix the numbers for them so that when cutting them out they have to think about number placement as opposed  to simply cutting and gluing.  Here is a link to the pattern I use, http://www.math.kent.edu/~white/graphpaper/one-bold.pdf

Next, we bring out the glue!  Aren't you glad I didn't say glitter?  :) To reduce the mess level from Def Con 20 to more of a 5 we put glue in these cute little plastic jars (tiny bubble bottles that you find as Birthday party gifts in goodie bags) and supply them with Q-tips. I have experienced a less sticky classroom.

I make strips for the children to glue their squares in numerical order.  Eventually, each child will have ten strips with ten numbers up to one hundred. What?  Yes, counting by tens! I don't know about you, but growing up, counting by tens was the BEST.
Each set of ten numbers is in a different color.

This is an on-going project that I discovered online years ago, and it has been a hit ever since. Before I send the children home with their new One Hundred chain, I decorate our windows with them for a couple of weeks.  This allows for them to admire their hard work when entering the classroom.

Ideas for using this chain at home are a wonderful added extension.

You can give your child a marker.  This is where I encourage parents to keep it fun and interesting. Make your markers creative such as M&M's, Goldfish, Cheerios, or other snacks that they love to eat. Have them place the marker on the number you say between 1 - 100.

How about some addition and subtraction?  For example, ask them to cover numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 with markers. Add three more markers, which will put them at 7. Now, eat two. How many do you have left?  Show them that their marker rests on the answer after they count the remains.

How cool is that?  Have fun with your children and be supportive during their educational journey.  It is one of the most important things you can do for them as they grow.

Enjoy!