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Spring is in the air with showers and the anticipation of blooming flowers. April is also the month that celebrates BLT’s, grilled cheese, pecans, soft pretzels and garlic. Quite the combination, but it is also Poetry and School Library Month and includes National Library Week. So, in this “Open” month, why not open a cookbook, a book of poems and an account at your local library or for that matter, open any book in April and read! Combine National Picnic Day with Earth Day and Arbor Day and pack a picnic basket with foods you’ve made with your family and kick back and take the time to enjoy a good book, good food and good company. Once again, look over our food calendar and choose a date, choose a food and choose a book and enjoy! Don’t forget to consult our book lists for suggestions and ideas. **Note: unfortunately, the Coronavirus has changed our daily lives, how we go about them and what we do. Sheltering at home can still include reading books, telling stories and writing poems and even picnicking in the backyard. Keep little brains engaged with books. Reading and listening to stories and baking in the kitchen are excellent for home learning. Enjoy and stay safe!
April
National BLT, Garden, Garlic, Grilled Cheese, Pecan, Poetry, School Library, & Soft Pretzel Month
National Garden Month
To learn about the benefits of having children help in the garden, refer to our previous blogs: The Power of a Garden and Why Get Kids in the Garden?.
“For children, most importantly, being in the garden is something magical.”
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My mother always encouraged us to help in the kitchen and often asked us to help out with little tasks at dinnertime. I still remember the mess my siblings and I created cutting out and decorating Christmas cookies or heart cookies at Valentine’s Day and then the joy of getting to lick out the bowl. Those are memories that I cherish and skills that I have built upon and now include my own daughter in the kitchen. Unfortunately, it seems that many millennial parents don‘t actually prepare meals from scratch today and their busy schedules often keep them from cooking at all. That is why we at Back to Basics Literacy added Bookworm Bakers to help parents creatively combine books with everyday cooking.
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Use time in the kitchen with your child(ren) to:
- Help plan menus and decide how to alter recipes to suit different tastes or needs.
- Identify different foods.
- If time permits point out colors, textures, sizes, smells etc. (for example the differing vegetables in a salad).
- When allowing children to help cut vegetables or other foods discuss halves, thirds and quarters etc. and then count how many total pieces.
- Don‘t be afraid to let your child handle a knife when helping in the kitchen (under close supervision, of course). For further reading on the benefits of letting kids use knives, take a look at this article from Wellness Mama.
- Don‘t be afraid to let your child handle a knife when helping in the kitchen (under close supervision, of course). For further reading on the benefits of letting kids use knives, take a look at this article from Wellness Mama.
- Discuss various kitchen tools and their uses.
- Allow children to help decide how to change up the menu or a recipe.
- Discuss where our food comes from and perhaps consider planting a garden or visit a fresh market or farmer’s market.
Remember that involving kids in the kitchen helps to develop:
- Fine Motor Skills – This is especially important in young children who are learning simple life skills such as working buttons and snaps on clothing, tying shoe laces and holding a pencil. Helping in the kitchen with chopping, peeling, whisking, measuring, washing and stirring helps to develop fine motor coordination.
- Communication – Not only is this a great time to bond with your child but also a time to converse about what you are making, what you need to do and how to best accomplish the task. This also helps to increase vocabulary. Make it fun by working to music and reading a short story in between steps.
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Reading & Writing – The two skills that are necessary to a full life. Recipes are wonderful not only to develop reading skills but also for following directions and sequencing. Create visual recipe cards for pre-readers and readers can help to choose recipes, create menus and write out shopping lists. For an example of visual recipes cards read A Mom with a Lesson Plan‘s blog post: Teaching Math and Reading with Cooking.
- Math & Science – Almost all cooking involves math through counting, adding, subtracting and measuring using whole numbers and fractions. Double or halve a recipe to further utilize math skills. Baking is pure science with each ingredient having its own function. Observe and discuss the physical and chemical changes that take place.
- Cultural Awareness – With the plethora of international foods, it‘s rather easy and fun to explore different cultures. You can use the celebration of a particular holiday such as St. Patrick‘s Day or Cinco de Mayo to prepare the food of that culture and then research the history behind the holiday and its country of origin. This way you can include geography and history in your cooking adventures and an appreciation of other cultures.
- Life Skills – Cooking is an essential life skill that allows for independence and builds self-confidence. Skills that you can help your child learn are planning, budgeting, flexibility and adapting to various situations. Let them help with menu planning, making a shopping list, participating in actual shopping and perhaps make some surprise changes along the way to teach them how to adjust when unexpected situations arise. Most of all, have fun and keep a sense of humor.
-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.
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~
National Bake for Family Fun, Cherry, Chocolate Lovers, Potato Lovers, Snack Food & Sweet Potato Month
(Originally from kidspot kitchen)
-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.
- 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
“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
- 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.
-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.
Author
We are mom Sandra and daughters Amanda and Kate, all with backgrounds in literacy and education, who want to share our philosophy of taking the basics of life; books, simple toys that encourage play, imagination and creativity, and using cooking and baking to teach math and real life skills to raise happy, inquisitive children. Join us in exploring the old and the new and sifting through the myriad of research to consider what is best for our children.
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