« What to Do For Family Worship/Devotions? | Main | Preschoolers and Peace on Moody Radio »
What Do You Love to Do, Mom?
By Kendra | January 26, 2009
When I recently wrote in response to a reader’s lack of joy, I mentioned adding something into her day that would appeal to her. Something to look forward to in all the necessary doings of the day.
For me, it’s cooking. More specifically, it’s baking. I dream in bread, cakes, pies, and crème brûlée (who doesn’t dream in crème brûlée?) Lucky for me, baking is a science and so I have planned a whole season’s worth of science lessons that have me in the kitchen with my kids during our slotted science hour.
When it dawned on me that we could use our two science mornings as our cooking course, I began to see a world of possibilities open to me. I also began to get excited and look forward to our science days, about which I had tended to feel rather ho-hum in the past.
We began with a cooking lapbook because I wanted to train my kids from the ground up. A while ago, I had made cooking binders for them in anticipation of a summer cooking course I was going to teach. But babies came instead, one summer after the other, and our cooking course never happened.
So I organized my materials and set out to have a whole lot of fun. How neat is it that we also end up producing a meal or a snack in the process?
If a cooking/science/chemistry unit sounds good to you, too, I say go for it. These are some of the resources we’re using:
Online:
America’s Test Kitchen Videos Online
Our Favorite Cookbooks for Kids:
Paula Deen’s My First Cookbook
My Favorite Cooking Blogs:
CupCake Blog (although she’s no longer blogging, her archives are to die for!)
Topics: Educating at Home, Resources | 12 Comments »
January 26th, 2009 at 5:26 am
Could you post a picture of your lapbook? I took a look at the parts of it but I’m wondering how it all comes together. We are currently doing our first lapbook w/ TOG and LOVING IT!
January 26th, 2009 at 5:39 am
Oh, and could you describe your cooking binders- what is in them? How are you using them? Thanks- you’ve sparked some ideas for our home!
January 26th, 2009 at 7:42 am
We love to be in the kitchen! Even my two year old gets in on the mixing! I never thought of baking as science (why I don’t know it makes perfect sense!). We have used it for math though!
January 26th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Heather-
Here’s the post about our cooking binders:
http://www.preschoolersandpeace.com/?p=360
Our lapbooks aren’t finished yet, but I’ll try to post a photo when they are.
~Kendra
January 26th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Yum! : )
January 26th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I just checked out your binders. They look great! I was wondering at what age would you start something like a cooking class? My son is five. I want him to know his way around the kitchen someday, but do you think he is too young still?
January 26th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
I was wondering how your cooking course went! Somehow it’s reassuring to hear that others’ best-laid plans don’t always happen like clockwork. I look forward to checking out your links. Thanks!
Oh– I’ve been praying. how was the visit to orthopedics?
January 26th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Great post Kendra. Thanks! I too love to cook and bake, and it’s fun that the kids can join me in that. We jokingly refer to the kitchen as my laboratory. If you aren’t familiar with The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart, it’s an excellent bread book. Not only are the recipes great, but the first several chapters go into the science of bread, how it works, how time and temperature change the outcome, how the enzymes work, etc. I devoured it, and made a mental note that when my kids are older, it will become part of some homeschool curriculum for them. Fascinating stuff!
My latest cookbook/read is Nourishing Traditions. I’m happily learning about- and experimenting with fermenting vegetables, soaking grains, etc. and all the health benefits that can be gained by doing some of these things. I’m having so much fun learning some new tricks!
I’ll look forward to hearing your radio broadcast.
Rebeca
January 26th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Annie-
Thanks for asking! She got the green light to stand, walk, and be a normal 5yo. Just not aloud to jump for three more weeks
~Kendra
January 26th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
That’s “allowed”…
January 27th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
This is so helpful! I would love to get my kids in the kitchen with me… Thank you for the encouragement!
January 27th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Kendra, You should check out rouxbe.com it is an excellent, excellent online cooking school. Your older children would probably really like it. I did a post about it here recently:
http://100digits.com/?p=939
Your cooking binder is a great idea! Thanks!