Cooking with preschoolers

I plan a cooking experience every week for my preschoolers.  We don't always squeeze it in, but when we do I try to include some science in with our activity.  Cooking is chemistry, you know.  It involves states of matter (liquids and solids) and combining (mixing) or changing them (with temperature change, for instance) to create new substances.  I encourage the kids to describe the matter throughout the process and I use the terms 'liquids' and 'solids' along with other new terminology relating to cooking such as 'batter'.  I try to include picture recipes to 'read' and measuring tools (cups and spoons) whenever possible.

We do always talk about safety when we cook.  This involves not only hand-washing, but also safety around hot and sharp objects they might find in the kitchen.  I often pose situations and ask the children questions relating to safety rather than just tell them the rules.  As with other explorations, children learn best by relating things to their own lives.

'Cooking' in preschool does not always involve heat.  'Cooking' includes food preparation of all kinds in my classroom.  Some cooking experiences we have had this year include using measuring cups and picture recipes to make various cereal mixes and 'GORP' (good old raisins and peanuts-the generic term I use to include throwing a bunch of stuff out of the pantry together and enjoying it), chopping sliced ham with butter knives and whisking scrambled eggs to make green eggs and ham for Dr. Seuss week, and measuring and shaking Magic Leprechaun Powder to make pistachio pudding.

Last week we studied the farm and my favorite cooking activity to go with this theme is to make butter.  This is actually so easy, it's kind of pathetic, but it becomes almost magical to the children.  All you need it heaving whipping cream (found in the dairy case at your grocery store), a dash of salt (optional, I usually just have this in the container when we start), and a container with a tight seal.

As we pour the whipping cream into the container we talk about that it is a liquid.  I ask the kids what liquid it reminds them of and someone always compares it to milk, thus starting a conversation about the dairy group, animals that produce milk, and whatever other related tangents we travel down.  Conversation is important not only to make the connections but to keep the kids' minds off the fact that the making of butter is a bit boring.  As we talk we pass the sealed container around taking turns shaking the heck out of it.  I always make sure I get a turn as well so that it gets plenty of good shakes and also so I can tell where it is in the process of becoming butter.

As we shake it the liquid becomes a froth, then a gel-like solid, and finally separates into butter (solid) and buttermilk (liquid).  This is when it is done.  We compare the way it feels when we shake it as we take our turns.  And when it is finished we have it on bread, muffins, or other treat with our snack.  I always offer up a taste of buttermilk for the brave students too.  I talk about that buttermilk is used to make things like pancakes, biscuits, and brownies, (which many of us love) but many people do not like the taste of it by itself.

Cooking lessons teach lifelong kitchen skills, but can also include nearly every other area of the curriculum:  science (chemistry), math (measurement, counting, time), reading (a recipe), safety, vocabulary, fine motor (or gross motor, in the case of butter, which uses lots of arm movement) skills, language (both receptive and verbal), social studies (where our food comes from), as well as making connections to the children's daily lives and of course enjoying the products we create.  Yum!

Cooking with Trash

No not real trash, but scraps of food I used to throw out...

My friend Kim has inspired me to save veggie scraps and ends to use to make my own chicken stock.  So when these veggie scraps become available throughout the week I place them in a ziplock baggie in my freezer.  This is where they stay until I am ready for them.  No more moldy science experiments in the fridge.  Ends (like carrots, celery, onions) and limp veggies work fine for stock.

My family does not eat the heels on loaves of bread.  I have found ways to incorporate these into our meals.  (1) These work great in grilled cheese sandwiches if you turn the heel side in.  No one notices it's a heel.  (2) Cook them up in french toast.  Slice them into french toast sticks.  (3) Cube them and save in a baggie in the freezer until there is enough to make breakfast casserole with (or make bread crumbs for recipies).  (4) Someday I might be ambitious enough to try them as croutons.

I read somewhere how much food we throw out in the United States.  It's an incredible amount.  I know I contribute to that.  I have tried to improve on this a little at a time.  This is one way I accomplish that.

And just for fun, here is a breakfast casserole recipe that will help you use up some of those heels...

Sausage and Egg Casserole 
Ingredients:
1 pound lean pork sausage
6 eggs, slightly beaten
6 slices of bread, cubed
1 cup grated cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried mustard
2 cups milk

Assembly:
Brown sausage and drain. Combine all ingredients and pour into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Refrigerate at least 12 hours, or overnight. May also freeze at this point.

Serving Day:
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. If using from frozen, thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator before cooking.

Play Dough

Play dough is an essential item for kids of all ages, (when I have adults visiting in my classroom they tend to head to the play dough table too) but it has many benefits for preschoolers especially.  

Play dough builds the fine motor muscles in the fingers.  All that pinching, pounding, rolling, and manipulating is actually the best pre-writing practice.

It's a great sensory experience.  Play dough is something that can be experienced with all the senses. 

It builds self esteem.  Play dough is open-ended.  There are no right or wrong answers. 

It builds friendship skills.  Play dough gives lots of opportunities for sharing.

It builds creativity.  Play dough can become anything with a little imagination:  food, shapes, animals, bowls, snowmen, etc.

It's a great release for tension and anger.  All that pounding, pinching, squeezing, poking is acceptable when done with play dough.

It offers many opportunities to foster language development.  You can describe the texture of play dough, talk through what you are doing with it, enter into imaginative play.

It's fun!

The best thing is that play dough is easy to come back and so simple and cheap to make.  My favorite recipe for play dough is:

1 c flour

1/2 c salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 Tb vegetable oil

1 c water

food coloring

Mix together flour, salt, and cream of tartar.  Color the water and add it along with the oil to the dry ingredients.  Cook, stirring, for 1-3 minutes or until thick.  Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead as soon as it is cool enough to do so.  Keep in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Today I made Kool-Aid Play Dough

2 1/2 c flour

1/2 c salt

2 (4g) pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid mix

2 c boiling water

3 Tb oil

Mix dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients.  Mix with spoon until cool enough to knead.  I had to knead in quite a bit of flour today.  But it was really fun to see the color appear as we added the water.  And it is a cool hot pink color and smells wonderful!  I used tropical punch kool aid.

I had my three year old son help stir as we made the play dough.  I have also made play dough as a cooking experience in preschool.  There are some basic states of matter lessons to be learned (yes, that's chemistry in preschool!).

I prefer homemade play dough in my classroom since I know exactly what is in it.  We discourage eating the play dough, but in case there is any ingested, I know it is safe.

Play dough is fun without accessories.  In fact I try to offer it without accessories often, but the kids know where to find the play dough toys and they prefer to have them.  I have also added items like popsicle sticks (this was more fun than I expected), beads, small animals, Mr. Potato Head pieces.  Cutting practice is fun with play dough snakes.  Play dough snakes can be made into letters, shapes, etc. Play dough balls can be used for counting practice.  

I have found a few more fun play dough recipes I want to try especially chocolate play dough and gingerbread play dough.  What are your favorite play experiences?