K-k-k kids can play and have fun in the kitchen and, at the same time, learn and practice some basic kindergarten readiness skills. While it would probably be easier for us without their assistance, most kids love to be in the kitchen. Since that’s where the action is, that’s where we’ll learn and play with the letter K.
One blog for kids and kitchens is Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons. Last week, she had a fun recipe for quesadillas that were dinosaurs. Can you imagine eating a whole dinosaur? Making these and eating them would need lots of vocabulary and discussions about dinosaurs. There are other things kids learn in the kitchen, too:
- math: counting, measuring, volume,
- 5 senses: not just touch. taste and smell, but hearing and seeing, too,
- muscle development: fine motor control for stirring, mixing, rolling, slicing, etc.
- science: different kinds of change, solids and liquids, watching carefully,
- language: not just vocabulary, but the language of instructions,
- social and emotional: cooperating and working with others, sharing,
- thinking skills: following directions, doing steps in order, planning and organizing.
A fellow radio-host, Heather Tallman, the Basilmomma from Around the Kitchen Sink radio show, recently had a special appearance on Fox news. (**this news clip has some ads that are PG**) She and her two sons had some winter fun making ice cream from snow!
Recipe: 1 gallon snow, 1 cup sugar, 1 TB vanilla, 2 Cups milk or dairy of choice. Fill a big bowl with snow that is clean!! white!! and not from around trees!! Mix in sugar, vanilla, and stir in milk to desired consistency. At our house, we made some with SoyNog snow cream.
When kids help cook, they are establishing some life skills and picking up values too, learning to both create and help clean-up. Can you and your child have a kitchen play-of-the-day? With or without dinosaurs and snow?