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February: It's All About the Heart!

1/27/2020

*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

February is the month of celebrating love and we would hope that includes the love of reading. This is the month to gift loved ones with heart shaped chocolate, cookies and cakes and we encourage you to make those home-made goods with the kiddos and include a book, and even read a book while you are waiting for those goodies to bake!

February is most often associated with Valentine‘s Day but the Home Baking Association (HBA) has designated February as Bake for Family Fun month. The HBA encourages families to take this month to share family love and traditions through baking. Since it is also Chocolate Lovers month, consider combining the two. Baked goods are always extra yummy when chocolate is added (for adults a fun read is Chocolate: The Consuming Passion by Sandra Boynton.) February can sometimes include Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday, which here in Michigan we know as Paczki Day but in other cultures it is also known as Pancake Day or Mardi Gras. You can celebrate the day with a stack of pancakes and the story If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff.

Remember that baking and cooking builds:
Stronger bonds with children
Reading skills
Math skills
Science skills
Responsibility
Self-esteem
Confidence
Creativity & Imagination
Communication skills
Life skills
Background knowledge
Life-long memories

~Food Calendar & Suggested Reads~

Once again, we are including a food calendar to assist in some family cooking, baking and reading suggestions. As we recommended before, find a food you want to celebrate and then look through recipes with your child(ren) and spend some time creating something delectable together. Always look for additional titles and fun ways to cook and read as a family.

February
National Bake for Family Fun, Cherry, Chocolate Lovers, Potato Lovers, Snack Food & Sweet Potato Month

National Bake for Family Fun Month

Alpha-Bakery Children's Cookbook by Gold Medal Flour

Sun Bread by Elisa Kleven

A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat by Emily Jenkins

The Peanuts Family Cookbook: Delicious Dishes for Kids to Make with Their Favorite Grown-Ups by Weldon Owen

National Cherry Month

Hidden Cherries by Anne Margaret Lewis & Susan Hammon

Hi-Ho Cherry-O! Board Game

National Chocolate Lovers Month

Lily's Chocolate Heart by Kevin Henkes

If You Give a Mouse a Brownie by Laura Numeroff

Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by Margret & H. A. Rey

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young

1st Friday: National Bubble Gum Day

Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy

Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum In a Dish by Tracey M. Cox

4th: National Homemade Soup Day

Stone Soup by Marcia Brown

Everybody Serves Soup by Norah Dooley

Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

Cucumber Soup by Vickie Leigh Krudwig

To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda

9th: National Bagel Day

Bagel in Love by Natasha Wing

Jalapeño Bagels by Natasha Wing

9th: National Pizza Day

Pizza Party! by Grace Maccarone

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philomen Sturges

Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by James & Kimberly Dean

Pizza!: An Interactive Recipe Book by Lotta Nieminen

*For our favorite pizza recipe and additional titles take a look back at our blog Pizza, Pizza!.

13th: National Tortellini Day

Tony Baroni Loves Macaroni by Marilyn Sadler

15th: National Gum Drop Day

17th: National Cabbage Day

20th: National Muffin Day

If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff

21st: National Sticky Bun Day

Bizz & Buzz Make Honey Buns by Dee Leone

23rd: National Banana Bread Day

23rd: National Toast Day

Toast! by Heywood Banks

25th: Fat Tuesday (changes annually) & National Pancake Day

Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle

Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola

Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast by Josh Funk

If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff

27th: National Strawberry Day

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear by Don & Audrey Wood

4th Thursday: National Chili Day

Armadilly Chili by Heather Ketteman

- - -

Celebrate Chocolate Lovers Month with some chocolate biscuits and a glass of milk or a cup of tea. A great dough for youngsters to help roll into balls!

Chocolate Biscuits
(Originally from kidspot kitchen)

2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ cup cocoa, sifted
¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl beat eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla until well combined. Stir in flour, baking powder and cocoa. Roll spoonfuls into balls and flatten slightly with hand or fork. Bake on parchment covered cookie sheet for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 2 dozen biscuits.

Happy baking and reading!

-Kate @ BTBL

Author

We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 1 and a newborn) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.

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The Protégé Effect: Do, Repeat, Teach, Learn

1/17/2020

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*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

If you are a parent of a young child, you know that they are continually growing both in stature and in cognition and therefore, ability. Like any construction project that needs a strong foundation, brains are also built upon a strong foundation and a child’s experiences and interactions help to make their foundation solid. During early childhood, the brain undergoes a series of extraordinary changes with connections forming between the brain cells at a rapid pace. Connections that are regularly used will be kept and those that are not will be eliminated. Because children are learning everyday through experiences, it is important to offer a variety of experiences to learn from as well as repeated experiences. Repetition helps children develop and master new skills as well as allowing them to construct meaning of their world and how they fit into it. Repetition promotes learning and can also be achieved through daily tasks and routines such as making meals and baking in the kitchen. Introduce learning in the kitchen through:

Numbers and math through weights and measures
Literacy through books about baking and cooking and reading recipes
Creative exploration through new ingredients and recipes
Tactile experiences through kneading dough and the feel of various fruits and vegetables
Vocabulary through a discussion of what you are making

While adults crave variety, preschoolers thrive on repetition. When preschoolers do things over and over again, they develop and master new skills while also constructing new understandings of their world. Think of how people master a new skill such as baking or playing a musical instrument. It takes repetition and practice. As preschoolers repeat and practice a variety of skills, they build their proficiency in those skills, which in turn leads to greater self-confidence.

Working in the kitchen also teaches children about cause and effect. Sometimes a recipe might not turn out the way you thought because a step was missed, measured incorrectly or misunderstood. A child can learn from the mishap and repeating the recipe will help them to master the task and allow for success, building confidence and self-esteem. It will also demonstrate to a child that their actions have consequences, both positive and negative. A fun watch to include might be 'Little Bear and the Cupcakes' where Emily and Little Bear’s muffins turn out hard as rocks because they forgot to add baking powder.

Another way that learning occurs in the kitchen that has a pedagogical association is learning by teaching and we aren’t talking about the parent as the teacher but your child. When a child becomes the teacher, understanding is on a deeper level because the child has taken ownership of their learning. This has also been termed the protégé effect, “a psychological phenomenon where teaching, pretending to teach, or preparing to teach information to others helps a person learn that information.” I remember watching my mother in the kitchen and then later as an adult thought, “no problem, I can handle that” only to discover that it wasn’t working out the way I thought it would. But when I had to do it myself and explain to another what I did or how to do it, it stuck in my mind because I had to struggle to gain an understanding of it and make it clear enough in my mind to explain it to my own child. First hand knowledge is always the best and when someone can explain it and teach it to another, a deeper understanding has been gained and perhaps has even allowed that person to see it in a new way putting a whole new twist on it, fueling the imagination. So, as you cook with your child, have them explain to you what they are doing and why and make sure that you offer opportunities for pretend play to extend the learning.

“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth learning can be taught.”
Oscar Wilde

I often find my own daughter in her play kitchen explaining to her dolls and stuffed animals how to make pizza or pancakes or something that we have done in the kitchen. She gathers her ingredients and asks each one what they want on it or in it as the case may be and then she goes on to explain what she needs to make it and how she is making it and voila, she has created her own masterpiece that she proudly displays on her small plates. I find it amusing but then I think, she’s really learning. Her pretend play extends to real world life skills. It’s all about the actual experience of doing.

Just remember that when in the kitchen:

Messes will happen
Children need to use their hands for a sensory experience and learning
Errors are a learning experience and can create a deeper understanding of why and how
Children are not on the same time schedule as you are. Slow down and make it enjoyable
Don’t underestimate your child just because of their age
Allowing your child to “teach” you leads to greater understanding
Connecting a recipe to a story or cooking to music includes literacy along with singing and movement, aiding in the development of the brain.

**We like to think that the warm memories might also include a dad, a grandparent, aunt, uncle or sibling. Happy memory making!**

Happy cooking!

-Kate @ BTBL

Author

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Leap into the kitchen in 2020...and bring a book!

1/3/2020

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*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

Cooking and good food brings people together and that is most evident at this time of year with so many people celebrating holidays and just plain celebrating life. Cooking and baking seem to make us slow down and appreciate all that goes into creating the wondrous foods from our past, from our culture and the new creations that we find or even invent. Cooking together with your children shouldn’t be just a one time of year experience but should be embraced throughout the year.

In December we talked about how cooking can be a wonderful way to boost reading and math skills in children as well as building self-esteem, confidence and teaching life skills. When cooking, one is almost always reading; whether it be a recipe, instructions on a box or food labels, reading and math are at the forefront. If you love literature and cooking, you can share both loves with your children through books such as:

The Storybook Cookbook by Carol MacGregor

Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters by Jane Yolen

Once Upon a Recipe by Karen Greene

Cook Me a Story: A Treasury of Stories and Recipes Inspired by Classic Fairy Tales by Bryan Kozlowski

Cook Me A Rhyme, In the kitchen with Mother Goose by Bryan Kozlowski.

Roald Dahl's Completely Revolting Recipes

As the new year begins, we are going to focus on our Bookworm Bakers division, where we blend baking, cooking and gardening with literacy. Bookworm Bakers is all about taking the love of books and reading, and combining it with food; namely cooking, baking and even growing your own food. There are so many books that have stories, themes and concepts that can be teamed up with baking, cooking and growing that not only educate but can create a lasting bond and memories with your children. Cooking with young children aids in hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. As children get older, cooking can be used for patterning, sequencing and basic math skills. Children who help with cooking also gain confidence, a sense of pride and accomplishment and learn about responsibility, not to mention the social and creative aspect of cooking together. Such a fun, engaging, and terribly tasty pastime is a positive on so many fronts that it should be a part of every childhood.

~Food Calendar & Suggested Reads~

A food calendar will be included each month to help with some ideas for family cooking, baking and reading. There are so many National celebration days in honor of certain foods, and we don‘t even have them all, but we thought it a great idea to combine those days with fun cooking and stories (a number we found are celebrated more than once a year.) We have also tried to include some theme related storybook titles that we have found and enjoy, as well as some cookbook titles that we recommend you try. We are not expecting anyone to follow the calendar faithfully. Instead we offer it for suggestions, ideas and inspiration when you are looking for a fun way to combine cooking and reading. Find a food you want to celebrate and then look through recipes with your child(ren) and spend some time creating something delectable together. Always be on the lookout for additional titles and fun ways to cook and read as a family.

January
National Hot Tea, Meat, Oatmeal, & Soup Month

National Hot Tea Month

Tea Rex by Molly Idle

Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk

Winnie-the-Pooh's Teatime Cookbook by A. A. Milne

Fancy Nancy: Tea for Two by Jane O'Connor

Fancy Nancy: Tea Parties by Jane O'Connor

Tea Time by Karen Rostoker-Gruber

Tea Party Today: Poems to Sip and Savor by Eileen Spinelli

Bunnies for Tea by Kate Stone

Teatime by Tiffany Stone

Ruby's Tea for Two by Rosemary Wells

Teatime with Emma Buttersnap by Lindsey Tate

National Soup Month

Stone Soup by Marcia Brown

Everybody Serves Soup by Norah Dooley

Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

Cucumber Soup by Vickie Leigh Krudwig

To Market, To Market by Anna Miranda

Soup Day by Melissa Iwai

4th: National Spaghetti Day

Spaghetti and Meatballs for All by Marilyn Burns

Tony Baroni Loves Macaroni by Marilyn Sadler

Tyler Makes Spaghetti by Tyler Florence

Wednesday is Spaghetti Day by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

One Hundred Spaghetti Strings by Jen Nails

2nd week: National Pizza Week

Pizza Party! by Grace Maccarone

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philomen Sturges

Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by James and Kimberly Dean

Pizza!: An Interactive Recipe Book by Lotta Nieminen

Pizza Day by Melissa Iwai

Pizza School: A Kids Cookbook for Aspiring Pizza Makers by Charity Curley Matthews

Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin

*For our favorite pizza recipe and additional titles take a look back at our blog Pizza, Pizza!.

6th: National Bean Day

6th: National Shortbread Day

11th: National Milk Day

The Milk Makers by Gail Gibbons

19th: National Popcorn Day

Tomie dePaola's The Popcorn Book

The Popcorn Princess by Jacqueline McComas

Popcorn! by Elaine Landau

20th: National Cheese Lovers Day

21st: National Granola Day

23rd: National Pie Day

Annie the Apple Pie Fairy by Tim Bugbird

A Pie Went By by Carolyn Dunn

All for Pie, Pie for All by David Martin

Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray

*For additional titles read our previous blog Celebrate National Pie Day.

24th: National Peanut Butter Day

Peanut Butter & Brains: A Zombie Culinary Tale by Joe McGee

27th: National Chocolate Cake Day

Let's Bake a Cake! by Anne-Sophie Baumann

Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake by Eileen Christelow

The Magic School Bus Gets Baked in a Cake by Joanna Cole

Jake Baked the Cake by B. G. Hennessy

Froggy Bakes a Cake by Jonathan London

Marigold Bakes a Cake by Mike Malbrough

The Fairytale Cake by Mark Sperring

Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

Last Saturday: National Seed Swap Day

A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston

Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson

Miss Maple's Seeds by Eliza Wheeler

30th: National Croissant Day

31st: National Hot Chocolate Day

Whenever hot chocolate is mentioned, my mother brings up an old Peanuts comic strip in which Linus makes a cup of hot chocolate for Lucy. Linus asks Lucy how she likes it and she says, "It's terrible! It's too weak! It tastes like some warm water that has had a brown crayon dipped in it!.," to which Linus replies, "You're right. I'll go put in another crayon." We always laugh about it. So, just imagine our excitement when we found a recipe on page 80 of The Peanuts Holiday Cookbook titled 'Linus's Marshmallow Hot Chocolate' featuring the very comic strip across the top of the page! Giggle at the comic strip and enjoy a delicious cup of hot chocolate (crayon optional).

The Peanuts Holiday Cookbook: Sweet Treats for Favorite Occasions All Year Round

- - -

Now, January typically means snow, but we here in Southeast Michigan have had little snow so far this winter, though we hope for enough to get out and play in soon. When it does snow, or if you have snow where you are, consider making some snow cream with your children. We made some last year and much to my surprise, it was rather yummy. Be sure to gather clean snow?

You might also want to consider watching Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear’s Snowbound where Granny makes snow cream with honey (which is what inspired us to give snow cream a try). You can find the episode on YouTube.

Happy reading & baking!

-Kate @ BTBL

Author

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Back to Basics

February: It's All About the Heart!

~Food Calendar & Suggested Reads~

Author

The Protégé Effect: Do, Repeat, Teach, Learn

“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth learning can be taught.”
Oscar Wilde

Author

Leap into the kitchen in 2020...and bring a book!

~Food Calendar & Suggested Reads~

Author

Author

Archives

Categories

Back to Basics

February: It's All About the Heart!

~Food Calendar & Suggested Reads~

Author

The Protégé Effect: Do, Repeat, Teach, Learn

“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth learning can be taught.” Oscar Wilde

Author

Leap into the kitchen in 2020...and bring a book!

~Food Calendar & Suggested Reads~

Author

Author

Archives

Categories

“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth learning can be taught.”
Oscar Wilde