Snacktivities!

Are you looking for a way to help your child learn skills they need, without the boring flash cards and workbooks? Try putting the flash cards down and pick up a measuring cup and a cookbook instead! Cooking is a great way to teach your child some important skills. According to Penn State’s Better Kid Care Program, cooking with children can help them grow in the following ways:

• Learn about nutrition and increase their willingness to try a new food.
• Develop valuable self-help skills and increase independence.
• Develop math concepts through counting, measuring, timing, and ordering events.
• Work cooperatively with others.
• Develop reading skills, recognizing symbols and words.
• Learn to follow directions and complete all the steps necessary to finish a task.
• Explore the world’s foods and learn about the customs of people from around the world.
• Learn science concepts: temperature, volume, how something can change when it is heated, etc.
• Improve fine motor control through using hand muscles.
• Express themselves creatively.

Based on my own experience, cooking is also a great way to bond with your child. My son loves helping me in the kitchen. I give him jobs like cutting the stems off the strawberries (yes, this can be done with a plastic knife), and putting the croutons on the salad. It gives him a sense of pride and accomplishment. He feels so important when I tell his dad that he helped me make dinner.

MaryAnn Kohl & Jean Potter wrote a great book called Snacktivities; 50 Edible Activities for Parents and Children. The following recipe is an excerpt from that book:

ABC-heese Broil

Ingredients

1 package white cheese slices
1 package yellow cheese slices
1 slice of bread for each person

Utensils

Knife
Cutting board
Baking sheet
Oven mitts

Process

1. Select a word (or letter) to place on the sandwich.
2. Place one slice of white cheese on the bread.
3. Place the yellow cheese on the cutting board work surface and cut out letters with a sharp knife.
4. Peel the letters out of the cheese. Spell the word by placing the letters on the white cheese that is on the bread.
5. Place the slice of bread on the baking sheet.
6. Turn the oven on broil. Place the baking sheet under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese melts. Watch carefully so the cheese does not burn.
7. Wear oven mitts and remove the baking sheet from the oven.
8. Place the cheese sandwich on a plate to serve.