The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts,
All on a summer’s Day.
The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts,
And took them clean away.
The King of Hearts,
Called for the Tarts,
And beat the Knave full score.
The Knave of Hearts brought back the tarts,
And swore he’d steal no more!
While the nursery rhymes get into the baking mood, our kids are no less and with stories around cakes, jams, tarts and cupcakes doing the rounds, it is a lot of fun.
Baking can be educational and a lot of fun for kids. Here’s how:
- The Dough: The dough is a good start to getting the kids to understand measurements and fractions in terms of; as an example; how much input of ingredients can give you how much cake. If making the dough of a bread, the tactile movement of fingers in making the dough helps better ways to build muscular strength.
- The Elements: It is important for kids to understand how the temperature and atmospheric effects affect the dough of the cake or bread. The yeast effect in the bread and the impact of butter and eggs in the formulation of the cookie or cake batter is an important tool to understand the mixing of items for better rise of cake/ cookie.
- The Creativity: The finishing effects of glaze, sugar powder, cinnamon dust or sprinkles adds a creative component to the entire process. The icing sugar or the fondant layers also add a lot of insight into how the kid thinks about what they have helped to make. Letting the kids explore icing and finishing touches gives them a sense of neatness, eye-hand coordination and artistic exploration.
- The Gender: Baking isn’t only for girls. Let the boys also explore various ways to bake. It helps them think of sweet or savory options. Remember that food is for survival and gender role has nothing to do with food preparation. Let all kids try and explore ways to bake.
Little Jack Horner sat in the corner
Eating his Christmas pie,
He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum
And said “What a good boy am I!”
Fun, Learning and Food as a means to survive and have satisfaction is what kids of all ages must be made to understand. Baking, like cooking, is an art, science and also a good way for children to learn the fundamentals of concept of quantity, quality and taste. If you don’t know baking, have some friend or family member to help teach your kids.
