Baking with my Kids

Hi, I’m Jodi Jaeggi, author and developer of Sugar School 101. I absolutely love baking with my children and they love being a part of the process. Being a former teacher, I realized baking is an incredible opportunity to teach my children more than just how to make a delicious chocolate cake, but to incorporate math, science, geography and other school subjects into our baking adventures.

We started by exploring recipes from different countries and spending a bit of time learning about these countries. In doing so, we began to expand our vocabulary and learn some history. I decided to take this farther and make it a point to talk about fractions when we are measuring and cutting goods into pieces. We address geometry when our desserts are cut into shapes. Science when we work with solids and liquids, or when we create mixtures or solutions. My older child has to read through the recipe first if she wants to make it, and that my friend is your child learning expository text. When we finish, my older child can journal about our time in the kitchen. Keep that up and you will have a lovely keepsake and your child is developing their writing skills. My younger child can draw a picture of our time in the kitchen and try to phonetically spell the name of the dessert we made. It dawned on me that at least one day a week we could bake a delightful treat and cover a whole days worth of school lessons! Who knew enjoying cookies and cakes with my children could be such a fulfilling experience!

Do we sometimes spill or argue? Yes. Occasionally one child will storm out of the kitchen because the other child got to mix the batter for a few seconds longer. Have I ever ended up being the one to bake the whole recipe on my own? Yes. I’ve lost my children’s attention on occasion to the pool or the swing set. That’s when I just turn on the music I enjoy listening to and I’m the one who gets to lick the beaters. I find cooking and baking to be therapeutic. Do I ever lose my patience? Yes. However, the more you bake the more you find the happy memories to outweigh the bad experiences. You will find a rhythm with your kids and what works. They will learn patience, how to follow directions, and be rewarded in the end. Start simple and work your way into more challenging recipes as their interest in the kitchen grows.

I hope you find this site to give you the tools you need to maximize your experiences in the kitchen. The educational opportunities in the kitchen are abundant and the time spent with your children is priceless.