10 times the fun
We are teaching my middle child how to count, he is only 2 years old, but he can count to 10. So when I am doing anything in the kitchen, I do it in 10's. 10 stirs, 10 scoops, 10 shakes. It keeps him interested in what I am doing and has opened up other vocabulary that I wouldn't have shared with him yet. Measuring, leveling, and folding. He loves to help mommy cook and even has his own utensils that are only to be used by him. He is so proud of them.
The Language of Food
My quadruplet boys are only 2 years old, but they already LOVE playing kitchen with our play food and grocery cart. There is so much language involved in food. Interactions are natural, yet involve new vocabulary, and interactions. The boys loving shopping" for food and pretending to go to the store. This provides an opportunity to work on greetings turn taking with the cart and action verbs. When the boys return from the store there's a variety of language to interact with categorizing the food naming counting similar items talking about where foods come from...the possibilities are endless! You can transition to table manners and cleaning up which both reinforce the food language you've already introduced as well as introducing new skills and vocabulary. Food is a natural fun and creative way to develop your child's learning. And it's enjoyable for any age level or gender!"
Please note: The above entries were not chosen as winners for the Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
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Creative Cooking in the Kitchen
Homemade Donuts are way better than the store bought ones!!
Being a single Mom was a challenge on many levels. These challenges changed as my son grew. When he entered the third grade, sleepovers became popular, as this was the age where boys began to test their independence. The morning after his first sleepover, all he talked about were the powdered donuts the child's mother had bought at the donut store. The first time the boys slept at our house was filled with some apprehension especially when the number of guests unexpectedly rose at the last moment. The next morning I couldn't drive to the "donut store" since there was not another adult to mind the kids in my absence. Nor could I put the kids in the car as there were more kids than seat belts. I decided to be creative and have the kids help me make donuts. Using canned biscuits I set up an assembly line of kids making the holes (using an apple corer) once I fried them three more boys had the job of shaking the fried donuts in brown paper bags filled with confectioners sugar cinnamon and sugar or plain sugar. They had a blast! The donut making became a tradition in our home for over 15 years. It doesn't take a lot of talent or money just a little creativity to make kids enjoy their experiences in the kitchen.
Cooking up fun!
As a child, I always wanted to have a play kitchen and diligently begged for one every Christmas. My father always replied, "We have a real kitchen if you want to cook." Well I did. And now I cook with my little boys. We start in the grocery store learning lessons that develop all of the senses. There is so much to be gained through the process. I've found that cooking together is a fun way to increase self-confidence improve their understanding of nutrition and help my children gain practical life skills. We adapt our cooking for every stage. My five month old already sits in the kitchen with us and it thrills his older brother that he can "help" the baby cook. Right now this means chewing on a measuring cup (cute!) but soon he will be washing fruits and veggies like his big brother and actually using that cup to measure. I value good nutrition and cooking with my boys allows me to demonstrate cooking and eating well. As much as I love to have them help in the BIG kitchen though the child in me still wants them to have a play kitchen of their own. It is fun to cook in the grown up version but there is nothing like being able to bake a shirt and fry peas with no dishes to do. That's why my boys are getting a play kitchen this Christmas...even though we have a real kitchen downstairs.
Please note: The above entries were not chosen as winners for the Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest.
Being a single Mom was a challenge on many levels. These challenges changed as my son grew. When he entered the third grade, sleepovers became popular, as this was the age where boys began to test their independence. The morning after his first sleepover, all he talked about were the powdered donuts the child's mother had bought at the donut store. The first time the boys slept at our house was filled with some apprehension especially when the number of guests unexpectedly rose at the last moment. The next morning I couldn't drive to the "donut store" since there was not another adult to mind the kids in my absence. Nor could I put the kids in the car as there were more kids than seat belts. I decided to be creative and have the kids help me make donuts. Using canned biscuits I set up an assembly line of kids making the holes (using an apple corer) once I fried them three more boys had the job of shaking the fried donuts in brown paper bags filled with confectioners sugar cinnamon and sugar or plain sugar. They had a blast! The donut making became a tradition in our home for over 15 years. It doesn't take a lot of talent or money just a little creativity to make kids enjoy their experiences in the kitchen.
Cooking up fun!
As a child, I always wanted to have a play kitchen and diligently begged for one every Christmas. My father always replied, "We have a real kitchen if you want to cook." Well I did. And now I cook with my little boys. We start in the grocery store learning lessons that develop all of the senses. There is so much to be gained through the process. I've found that cooking together is a fun way to increase self-confidence improve their understanding of nutrition and help my children gain practical life skills. We adapt our cooking for every stage. My five month old already sits in the kitchen with us and it thrills his older brother that he can "help" the baby cook. Right now this means chewing on a measuring cup (cute!) but soon he will be washing fruits and veggies like his big brother and actually using that cup to measure. I value good nutrition and cooking with my boys allows me to demonstrate cooking and eating well. As much as I love to have them help in the BIG kitchen though the child in me still wants them to have a play kitchen of their own. It is fun to cook in the grown up version but there is nothing like being able to bake a shirt and fry peas with no dishes to do. That's why my boys are getting a play kitchen this Christmas...even though we have a real kitchen downstairs.
Please note: The above entries were not chosen as winners for the Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
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Teamwork + Creative Ingredients = Fun in the Kitchen!
Our Creative & Fun Kitchen
Monday, spaghetti. Tuesday, chicken. Wednesday, Mac & cheese. Thursday, pork chops. Friday, eggs. Saturday, casserole. Sunday, leftovers. And repeat. Not in my house. I may not be a master chef, and as a mom of 4 kids under the age of 8, I'm pretty busy. I pride myself on feeding my kids healthy meals and having fun while doing so. Here's how we do it. If we're making tuna casserole that night, I announce to the kids "We're going under the sea tonight for dinner!" We all run into our rooms and pull on our bathing suits. I'll play Hawaiian music and put The Little Mermaid on in the background. My oldest will mix up the tuna, my two middle children will lay out the noodles and my youngest will dance around the kitchen to the music. It's easy and fun for all of us! We do zany adventures for any night - during pasta nights, my kitchen is transformed into a tiny Italian restaurant where my oldest chops up the veggies, my youngest throws the noodles against the wall to see if they're done. Your time in the kitchen doesn't have to feel like an inescapable prison sentence. Instead, it's whatever you make it out to be. Dress your kids in costumes, play some music and give them each a duty to fulfill. Before you know it, you've got a delicious dinner and a team that works great together. Now eat up - it's dinner time!
The Bean Cake
"Mom-MAY!" I looked at her post nap groggy eyes and halfheartedly agreed. "Okay honey let's go." I whisked her two year old frame down the stairs and plopped her in her "cooking chair." It was here she had cooked thousands of meals right alongside me for a very hungry daddy. I always let her pour this or stir that monitoring her so what we created would still be edible. Today was different. Today I had promised she could make her daddy a birthday cake. And so I rummaged through the cupboards and scanned my brain to find proper ingredients: flour water oatmeal chocolate chips and dry black beans. The latter was mixed in without my knowledge as I was making beans and rice for supper. She mixed poured stirred and yes made a mess. But most importantly I heard exclamations of "Look!" and "There perfect!" along with her humming while she worked. When Daddy came home and saw what she had made he took a bite. While it probably didn't taste as delicious as a chocolate cake the cook was beaming with pride. As were her proud parents. Without giving her the space to create she would have never felt the autonomy of success. Her own success. A successful confident child is exactly the kind of child I want to brighten the future.
Please note: The above entries were not chosen as winners for the Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest.
Monday, spaghetti. Tuesday, chicken. Wednesday, Mac & cheese. Thursday, pork chops. Friday, eggs. Saturday, casserole. Sunday, leftovers. And repeat. Not in my house. I may not be a master chef, and as a mom of 4 kids under the age of 8, I'm pretty busy. I pride myself on feeding my kids healthy meals and having fun while doing so. Here's how we do it. If we're making tuna casserole that night, I announce to the kids "We're going under the sea tonight for dinner!" We all run into our rooms and pull on our bathing suits. I'll play Hawaiian music and put The Little Mermaid on in the background. My oldest will mix up the tuna, my two middle children will lay out the noodles and my youngest will dance around the kitchen to the music. It's easy and fun for all of us! We do zany adventures for any night - during pasta nights, my kitchen is transformed into a tiny Italian restaurant where my oldest chops up the veggies, my youngest throws the noodles against the wall to see if they're done. Your time in the kitchen doesn't have to feel like an inescapable prison sentence. Instead, it's whatever you make it out to be. Dress your kids in costumes, play some music and give them each a duty to fulfill. Before you know it, you've got a delicious dinner and a team that works great together. Now eat up - it's dinner time!
The Bean Cake
"Mom-MAY!" I looked at her post nap groggy eyes and halfheartedly agreed. "Okay honey let's go." I whisked her two year old frame down the stairs and plopped her in her "cooking chair." It was here she had cooked thousands of meals right alongside me for a very hungry daddy. I always let her pour this or stir that monitoring her so what we created would still be edible. Today was different. Today I had promised she could make her daddy a birthday cake. And so I rummaged through the cupboards and scanned my brain to find proper ingredients: flour water oatmeal chocolate chips and dry black beans. The latter was mixed in without my knowledge as I was making beans and rice for supper. She mixed poured stirred and yes made a mess. But most importantly I heard exclamations of "Look!" and "There perfect!" along with her humming while she worked. When Daddy came home and saw what she had made he took a bite. While it probably didn't taste as delicious as a chocolate cake the cook was beaming with pride. As were her proud parents. Without giving her the space to create she would have never felt the autonomy of success. Her own success. A successful confident child is exactly the kind of child I want to brighten the future.
Please note: The above entries were not chosen as winners for the Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest.
Monday, December 21, 2009
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More Ideas for Creativity in the Kitchen
Lunchbox plus dessert
I find that my son is willing to eat anything on a stick. So I roll lunch meat up and stick a toothpick through it to make an airplane. The meat is used to make the wings and a slice of cucumber makes the body. For the propeller, we use thinly sliced carrots. I cut up cheese cubes, vegetables and fruits to make various kebobs. He likes building the kebobs too! He is more willing to try new foods and he enjoys trying to see what we can build with our toothpick. For dessert, he likes to make blue jello with gummy fish or for halloween, jello with gummy worms! We also take ice cream cones (sugar cones) and put batter in them to make cupcakes. Then we frost them, turn them on their sides to make a race car. For the wheels, we put a spot of frosting on the side and stick 4 round candies on. Frosting is a great way to teach a bit of science too. We make yellow frosting, red frosting and blue frosting. Then he mixes some together to see which new colors he can make. We also enjoy making Stone Soup based on the fable. We go to the store. I let him pick out the vegetables. He helps me cut them up and put them in the pot. Not only is he contributing to the meal, but it is also refining his fine motor skills. The kitchen is a wonderful playground!
Kids, Kitchens and Kiwis
Kids are naturally curious, and what better place to foster that curiosity and zest for learning than in the kitchen, the heart of the home. In our house, with four kids ten and under, we cook--a lot! Whenever the kids hear the mixer going or oven turn on, they run in asking What are you making? Can we help?" Although it can take longer (and be messier!) I think being involved in the process of creating food is vital in raising healthy daring eaters. The kids often suggest variations in the recipe and we have fun finding out if it was successful or not. Sprinkles in the pancakes works. Cloves in the meatballs does not! Seeing food in both its raw and prepared form gives kids a whole new appreciation for the things they eat. The fries start as whole potatoes; the yummy kiwi starts as a fuzzy brown ball; Pesto is created from the basil in the garden. We have fun planning meals by theme on occasion too. Whether it is a meal of all food from the sea all green food or all letter "M" food the kids come up with clever suggestions we parents would have never thought of! Creating and eating meals together not only reinforces valuable lessons like measurement fractions reading and taking turns but more importantly it creates happy memories together as a family we can cherish.
Please note: The above entries were not chosen as winners for the Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest.
I find that my son is willing to eat anything on a stick. So I roll lunch meat up and stick a toothpick through it to make an airplane. The meat is used to make the wings and a slice of cucumber makes the body. For the propeller, we use thinly sliced carrots. I cut up cheese cubes, vegetables and fruits to make various kebobs. He likes building the kebobs too! He is more willing to try new foods and he enjoys trying to see what we can build with our toothpick. For dessert, he likes to make blue jello with gummy fish or for halloween, jello with gummy worms! We also take ice cream cones (sugar cones) and put batter in them to make cupcakes. Then we frost them, turn them on their sides to make a race car. For the wheels, we put a spot of frosting on the side and stick 4 round candies on. Frosting is a great way to teach a bit of science too. We make yellow frosting, red frosting and blue frosting. Then he mixes some together to see which new colors he can make. We also enjoy making Stone Soup based on the fable. We go to the store. I let him pick out the vegetables. He helps me cut them up and put them in the pot. Not only is he contributing to the meal, but it is also refining his fine motor skills. The kitchen is a wonderful playground!
Kids, Kitchens and Kiwis
Kids are naturally curious, and what better place to foster that curiosity and zest for learning than in the kitchen, the heart of the home. In our house, with four kids ten and under, we cook--a lot! Whenever the kids hear the mixer going or oven turn on, they run in asking What are you making? Can we help?" Although it can take longer (and be messier!) I think being involved in the process of creating food is vital in raising healthy daring eaters. The kids often suggest variations in the recipe and we have fun finding out if it was successful or not. Sprinkles in the pancakes works. Cloves in the meatballs does not! Seeing food in both its raw and prepared form gives kids a whole new appreciation for the things they eat. The fries start as whole potatoes; the yummy kiwi starts as a fuzzy brown ball; Pesto is created from the basil in the garden. We have fun planning meals by theme on occasion too. Whether it is a meal of all food from the sea all green food or all letter "M" food the kids come up with clever suggestions we parents would have never thought of! Creating and eating meals together not only reinforces valuable lessons like measurement fractions reading and taking turns but more importantly it creates happy memories together as a family we can cherish.
Please note: The above entries were not chosen as winners for the Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest.
Friday, December 18, 2009
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Some of Step2's Favorite Contest Entries
Although we could only select three winners, we were overwhelmed with fantastic entries detailing how families get creative in the kitchen with their children. We will be sharing some of these entries in hope to inspire creativity with your kids in the kitchen.
Fencing IS a Kitchen Sport
Kids and kitchens are a fabulous mixture. My son has been a regular ingredient of our kitchen activities since he was a baby in a bouncy seat. Certainly he became more helpful" once he could crawl. This is when he discovered refrigerator magnets opening cabinets exploring measuring cups mixing bowls colanders turkey basters and tasting as we cooked. Then when he could stand on his own he was ready for the step stool which opened up a cornucopia of opportunities to help. Selecting (& tasting) cookie ingredients inserting muffin liners pouring ingredients stirring washing produce or dishes at the sink unloading the dishwasher helping Daddy make & pack his lunch. It was around this time that we discovered a favorite kitchen activity for our son - fencing! We (my husband son & I) used strainers for our face masks and whisks for our sabres. We've had some intensely fun matches! Our kitchen is an enjoyable place whether we are cooking tasting cleaning eating or playing. Honestly we all prefer the latter in which LAUGHTER is the key ingredient!"
Themed Fun" Week in the Kitchen"
Every week I have a theme for my son that involves him helping me in the kitchen. Beginning of the month, I'll have a sheet of paper with what we would be celebrating. Each week has a theme: colors of vegetable, different types of food (eg. spanish, chinese, dessert, soups), food for all the major holidays. We would focus on what we are going over and we start with shopping. If it's yellow vegetable week he would pick out squash, potatoes and etc. I'll ask him to wash the vegetables and I'll chop them and incorporate them to our meal. Same goes for all the other themes. I also have a check list for him that asks what he liked/disliked about the food. Also asking him on the check list if he helped me and cleaned up after he ate. If he got many stars" from me by helping I get to by him toys of his choice. It's really important that little ones are exposed to different kinds of taste and palate. This also helps moms/dads who are working during the day to spend some time together with their children when they get home. This makes kids feel good about themselves by making choices in their lives that effects other people.
Please note: The above entries were not chosen as winners for the Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest.
Fencing IS a Kitchen Sport
Kids and kitchens are a fabulous mixture. My son has been a regular ingredient of our kitchen activities since he was a baby in a bouncy seat. Certainly he became more helpful" once he could crawl. This is when he discovered refrigerator magnets opening cabinets exploring measuring cups mixing bowls colanders turkey basters and tasting as we cooked. Then when he could stand on his own he was ready for the step stool which opened up a cornucopia of opportunities to help. Selecting (& tasting) cookie ingredients inserting muffin liners pouring ingredients stirring washing produce or dishes at the sink unloading the dishwasher helping Daddy make & pack his lunch. It was around this time that we discovered a favorite kitchen activity for our son - fencing! We (my husband son & I) used strainers for our face masks and whisks for our sabres. We've had some intensely fun matches! Our kitchen is an enjoyable place whether we are cooking tasting cleaning eating or playing. Honestly we all prefer the latter in which LAUGHTER is the key ingredient!"
Themed Fun" Week in the Kitchen"
Every week I have a theme for my son that involves him helping me in the kitchen. Beginning of the month, I'll have a sheet of paper with what we would be celebrating. Each week has a theme: colors of vegetable, different types of food (eg. spanish, chinese, dessert, soups), food for all the major holidays. We would focus on what we are going over and we start with shopping. If it's yellow vegetable week he would pick out squash, potatoes and etc. I'll ask him to wash the vegetables and I'll chop them and incorporate them to our meal. Same goes for all the other themes. I also have a check list for him that asks what he liked/disliked about the food. Also asking him on the check list if he helped me and cleaned up after he ate. If he got many stars" from me by helping I get to by him toys of his choice. It's really important that little ones are exposed to different kinds of taste and palate. This also helps moms/dads who are working during the day to spend some time together with their children when they get home. This makes kids feel good about themselves by making choices in their lives that effects other people.
Please note: The above entries were not chosen as winners for the Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest.
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And the Winners Are...
We’re excited to announce the three winners of the “Step2 Creative Kids In the Kitchen Contest.” It was a tough decision, but of the more than 1,500 entries we thought these three best embodied creativity, encouragement of creative play and originality. The panel of judges consisted of Barbara Beery, the author of 11 best-selling kids’ cook books and founder of the Batter Up Kids Cooking School and toy experts from The Step2 Company. Please check out the winning entries below for some creative inspiration before the holidays and thank you to everyone who participated. See you next year for more creative fun in the kitchen!
All You Knead is Love – Grand Prize Winner
The kitchen has always been a special place for me. When I was a little girl, my grandmother encouraged me to make-up recipes, to experiment with the spices, and to have fun. The only ingredient that you really need, she said, was love. Although the food I created wasn’t always edible, it always came from my heart and I learned a great deal about cooking. Today I play in the kitchen with my four-year-old daughter and I encourage her to get creative. What do these cookies need? I’ll ask. And we’ll put in dried cherries or chopped-up apples or lavender flowers. I let her take risks and I let her make the decisions. I still choke up when I ask her. Okay, what’s missing? Love, she cries, and reaches for the bowl to pat it with love. For us, the creativity is not just the ingredients or the lack of measurements; it’s the way we have fun doing it together. We sing new words to the song about the muffin man or roll, roll, roll, your dough gently on the board and my one-year-old drums along with his wooden spoon and plastic bowl. I want my children to feel free in the kitchen, not just to copy me or the words in a recipe but to follow their own heart in the joy and creation of cooking.
Saving the Arts in the Kitchen – First Prize Winner
Schools are cutting back on Arts programs, in favor of more testing. Ugh! So, to keep creativity alive, I like to turn my kitchen into a sculpture and painting studio, using ingredients that are edible so the fun doesn't end until they're licking their fingers and it's all gone! Block cheese makes a wonderful carving material, and cuts easily with plastic knives. Sliced cheese can be cut with cookie cutters to make their own creative designs on tortillas, which can then be melted ever so slightly in the microwave for a tasty snack. Vegetables can be carved and assembled to resemble animals, and people. Funny faces with lettuce hair, can be arranged on plates. Chocolate sauce, mustard, jam, raspberry sauce, etc, make wonderful paint to adorn bread-ball sculptures. They can write their name or messages with mustard squeeze bottles into their bowl of grits, or the morning oatmeal. They may be cutting back on the Arts at school, but our house we're cutting up, having fun and keeping creativity alive in the kitchen!
I'm a mommy, a wife, bring home the bacon and fry it up too! – Second Prize Winner
Promoting creativity starts with a good example. I am proud that eating out is a special occasion and not the norm for my family. Dinnertime strengthens our familial bond on a daily basis, and its preparation is part of it. That warmth and love promotes confidence in expressing one’s creativity, especially in children. As Cuban-Americans, the kitchen allows me to share my culture with my daughters from recipes to stories and even language as they grow their bilingual lexicon. The kitchen is where my grandmother taught me about life as well as food, and I, in turn, will do the same for my girls. My husband loves to cook as well and serves as good example of what a complete man can be. He takes advantage of the kitchen as yet another way to interact with our daughters, offering his cooking style and life wisdom. And yes, we actually prepare food as well. We cook all types of cuisine not limited to just Cuban or American fare. Having a diverse palate is one way of exploring other cultures. The kitchen is also a unique playground where all the senses are stimulated in concert. Not many activities can claim that. The real fun is using imagination to combine foods in varying ways to produce different effects. Playing with measurements, adding novel ingredients or changing textures are all creative exercises that have no limit. Creativity becomes fun as well as educational and is spurred on by both.
All You Knead is Love – Grand Prize Winner
The kitchen has always been a special place for me. When I was a little girl, my grandmother encouraged me to make-up recipes, to experiment with the spices, and to have fun. The only ingredient that you really need, she said, was love. Although the food I created wasn’t always edible, it always came from my heart and I learned a great deal about cooking. Today I play in the kitchen with my four-year-old daughter and I encourage her to get creative. What do these cookies need? I’ll ask. And we’ll put in dried cherries or chopped-up apples or lavender flowers. I let her take risks and I let her make the decisions. I still choke up when I ask her. Okay, what’s missing? Love, she cries, and reaches for the bowl to pat it with love. For us, the creativity is not just the ingredients or the lack of measurements; it’s the way we have fun doing it together. We sing new words to the song about the muffin man or roll, roll, roll, your dough gently on the board and my one-year-old drums along with his wooden spoon and plastic bowl. I want my children to feel free in the kitchen, not just to copy me or the words in a recipe but to follow their own heart in the joy and creation of cooking.
Saving the Arts in the Kitchen – First Prize Winner
Schools are cutting back on Arts programs, in favor of more testing. Ugh! So, to keep creativity alive, I like to turn my kitchen into a sculpture and painting studio, using ingredients that are edible so the fun doesn't end until they're licking their fingers and it's all gone! Block cheese makes a wonderful carving material, and cuts easily with plastic knives. Sliced cheese can be cut with cookie cutters to make their own creative designs on tortillas, which can then be melted ever so slightly in the microwave for a tasty snack. Vegetables can be carved and assembled to resemble animals, and people. Funny faces with lettuce hair, can be arranged on plates. Chocolate sauce, mustard, jam, raspberry sauce, etc, make wonderful paint to adorn bread-ball sculptures. They can write their name or messages with mustard squeeze bottles into their bowl of grits, or the morning oatmeal. They may be cutting back on the Arts at school, but our house we're cutting up, having fun and keeping creativity alive in the kitchen!
I'm a mommy, a wife, bring home the bacon and fry it up too! – Second Prize Winner
Promoting creativity starts with a good example. I am proud that eating out is a special occasion and not the norm for my family. Dinnertime strengthens our familial bond on a daily basis, and its preparation is part of it. That warmth and love promotes confidence in expressing one’s creativity, especially in children. As Cuban-Americans, the kitchen allows me to share my culture with my daughters from recipes to stories and even language as they grow their bilingual lexicon. The kitchen is where my grandmother taught me about life as well as food, and I, in turn, will do the same for my girls. My husband loves to cook as well and serves as good example of what a complete man can be. He takes advantage of the kitchen as yet another way to interact with our daughters, offering his cooking style and life wisdom. And yes, we actually prepare food as well. We cook all types of cuisine not limited to just Cuban or American fare. Having a diverse palate is one way of exploring other cultures. The kitchen is also a unique playground where all the senses are stimulated in concert. Not many activities can claim that. The real fun is using imagination to combine foods in varying ways to produce different effects. Playing with measurements, adding novel ingredients or changing textures are all creative exercises that have no limit. Creativity becomes fun as well as educational and is spurred on by both.
Monday, December 14, 2009
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More of Barbara’s Kid-friendly Tips for the Holiday's
1. Starting-out with a gingerbread mix allows more time in the kitchen to explore different ingredients used in this recipe. In addition to using the ground cinnamon, purchase several cinnamon sticks and show your child how cinnamon looks before it is ground. Let them use a nutmeg grater or other child-friendly grater to grate part of a cinnamon stick. Use the other sticks in apple cider or hot chocolate.
2. Substituting a fruit juice for water in a cake/ cupcake recipe adds natural sugar and taste as well as nutritional value.
3. There are many options today for all sorts of naturally colored sprinkles, candy decors and natural food dyes. These may be used in place of artificially dyed products in any recipe.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
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Family Visits with Older Relatives?
By: Lisa Huisman Koops
Family visits to a loved one in an assisted living facility or nursing home are important to young and old alike, but can be challenging with toddlers who pull pictures off end tables, swing from the handles of walkers, and shout joyfully throughout the visit. It may be hard for an elderly relative to know how to interact with an active toddler and vice versa. One possibility is to bring a few toys along and engage in inter-generational pretend play. For instance, bring along a toy kitchen set (pot, spoon, food items) and encourage great-grandparents and toddlers to make “soup” together, taking turns thinking of ingredients and putting them in the pot, or “baking” them on the radiator! Play peek-a-boo with a stuffed animal behind Great-Grandma’s wheel-chair. Invite Great-Grandpa to read a simple, familiar book, leaving out some words for your child to fill in. Encourage your toddler to ride along, waving like a queen, on Great-Grandma’s lap as she is pushed down to the dining hall for lunch. Weaving play into family visits brings a smile to everyone’s face and creates priceless memories.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
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Last Chance to Enter to Win Dream Kitchens!
The Creative Kids in the Kitchen contest ends at midnight tomorrow night. It’s easy to enter, just click here for all the information.
Winners will be announced by the end of the year so stay tuned!
Winners will be announced by the end of the year so stay tuned!
Monday, November 30, 2009
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Reminder! Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest ends December 4th!
We’re excited to read how all of the entries – good luck!
Monday, November 23, 2009
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Tips from Barbara Beery
How to Have the Little Cooks in the Kitchen in Time for Turkey Day
• If you want to get your kids hands on in the meal you are making, the first thing to do is get organized. Get the kids to help clean up the work area, get out all the pots, bowls, and utensils you’ll need to make the recipe and even measure out things that you’ll need. 1 cup of flour? Here it is and set it aside. That way to can stay focused on the task at hand and you’re teaching your kids how to get started off on the right foot.
• Another way to get kids excited is by dividing up the tasks involved in making a recipe. As much as you can, get everyone involved. Have the little ones set the table, or help stir contents in a bowl. Have some kid safe knives or spoons around so it’s easier for little hands. You don’t have to have these things but they make things easier and more fun.
• Or you can even have them play with some pretend food like these items that come with one of the play kitchens – they’ll make kids feel like they are helping right along.
• And be patient; remember it’s the journey not the destination. Dumplings are a great Thanksgiving treat that are a really easy and fun food for kids to make too—they are magic-like in the way they cook in the chicken stock as they turn from mush into a fluffy delicious bite of heaven!!
Happy Thanksgiving Y’all!
• If you want to get your kids hands on in the meal you are making, the first thing to do is get organized. Get the kids to help clean up the work area, get out all the pots, bowls, and utensils you’ll need to make the recipe and even measure out things that you’ll need. 1 cup of flour? Here it is and set it aside. That way to can stay focused on the task at hand and you’re teaching your kids how to get started off on the right foot.
• Another way to get kids excited is by dividing up the tasks involved in making a recipe. As much as you can, get everyone involved. Have the little ones set the table, or help stir contents in a bowl. Have some kid safe knives or spoons around so it’s easier for little hands. You don’t have to have these things but they make things easier and more fun.
• Or you can even have them play with some pretend food like these items that come with one of the play kitchens – they’ll make kids feel like they are helping right along.
• And be patient; remember it’s the journey not the destination. Dumplings are a great Thanksgiving treat that are a really easy and fun food for kids to make too—they are magic-like in the way they cook in the chicken stock as they turn from mush into a fluffy delicious bite of heaven!!
Happy Thanksgiving Y’all!
Friday, November 20, 2009
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Which Dream Kitchen Will You Be Giving This Holiday Season?
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