When you bake with your children, there are so many educational opportunities. The goal of this site is to help you take advantage of them. You will find baking recipes attached to lessons that cover most the subjects taught in school: geography, history, vocabulary, math, science, and more!
If your child is old enough, they should be reading through the recipes before they bake. In doing so, they will be learning to follow directions carefully, because if they don’t, their cake may not rise, or their sticky buns may lack the sticky. Furthermore, I encourage children to keep a baking journal full of the recipes they make from this site. They should answer questions such as: Who did you bake with? What did you make? Did you make a mess? Did you make any mistakes? Were there ingredients in this recipe that you’ve never tried before? Would you make it again? Why or why not? Did you share with anyone or give your dessert away as a gift?
More Benefits
- Engages the senses. Smell the ingredients. Watch a cake rise. Feel the tacky dough. Hear the whirring of the beaters. Taste the batter!
- Exposure to fractions. Measuring your ingredients is mathematical!
- Teaches patience. Waiting for a dessert to bake can be challenging. Waiting for a child to measure flour is equally as challenging. Patience is a learned behavior.
- Science. Liquids, solids, mixtures, solutions, and so much more!
- Creativity. Garnishing a dessert is an artistic expression. Presentation is everything. Top it with whip cream and mint or chocolate ganache and berries?
- Boosts Confidence. Children love it when they master cracking an egg!
- Generosity. Share the goods!
- Bonding. Make a habit of creating warm and loving memories in the kitchen. Make sure to lower your expectations to make this possible.
- Rewarding experience. Desserts taste better after you’ve done all the work!
Your child will be more likely to retain information when they enjoy the lesson. I find most children love dessert, so what better method for education than baking. So, learn a little, play some music, make a mess, make some mistakes, laugh, have fun, and hopefully enjoy something delicious!