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Counting Collections at Home
Counting Collections at Home
Have you heard your teachers using the words "Counting Collections" as they engage with your children through distance learning?
Counting Collections is a structured opportunity for children to count a collection of objects. They might count the items one-by-one or skip-count by groups. After children have organized and counted the collection they record how they counted (TEDD.org)
Here is a video that helps to go in to what Counting Collections can look like in the home.
Cooking with Young Children
Cooking with Young Children
Cooking with young children can not only be a fun experience, but it can also provide high demand for cognitive and social-emotional expansion of learning. Many people are aware of the mathematical implications of cooking, but are you also aware of the leadership and self-efficacy that also comes from cooking? Below, we will briefly describe how each of our developmental domains can be stimulated through cooking with young children.
Social Emotional Development:
Social Emotional Development:
When an adult empowers a young child to be included in a "grown up task," it boost their confidence and allows them to feel like a contributor to the task. This also allows for children to take greater risks and moves towards independence and self-motivated tasks when they feel that they are capable of doing difficult things. As adults, we guide children through language and safety guidelines to ensure that they are not putting themself in danger, but still allowing them a little bit of risk.
When a child feels confident and as an important contributor to the process of cooking the meal, children will be more willing to try the new ingredients that the child has added to the recipe. By allowing them to use their senses as they are engaged in the cooking process, they will be able to store that knowledge of what that ingredient feels, smells, looks and then tastes like and then decide their preference after that.
Bring out the family recipes! Sharing your family recipes with your children is a way to enhance his/her knowledge of their family culture and heritage. Also, try other recipes to discover the differences in other cultures and explore new things. (see recipe below for example)
When children feel as if they contributed to the end result, it empowers them to take more responsibility for the entire process... EVEN CLEANING! By including children in the process of cooking the meal, they will be more willing to learn how to clean it up as well.
Math:
Math:
Problem solving and creativity can be abundant in every cooking activity. By allowing children to build upon their previous knowledge and apply new skills, children are able to manipulate the recipe based on mathematical practices of addition, subratracion, multiplication, division and even conversions!
Children begin to follow directions (simple and complex) and practicing sequencing (pre-algebraic skills) when reading a recipe with an adult. Using tools to measure, scoop, pour and mix will allow your child to practice all of these mathematical concepts without them even knowing that its math. This is also a great way to increase a child's planning ability with starting and finishing a project.
Don't forget to count!!! count eggs, count scoops, count time... count everything!!! For your older preschoolers, have them document (write down) the numbers to go with what they're counting to enhance numerical and symbol recognition.
Science:
Science:
What better way to explore the conversion of matter with the addition of a catalyst then with baking: something starts as a liquid and then with heat transforms into a solid!
Not only do we explore the science of cooking, but it also gives us the perfect opportunity to practice kitchen safety.
We are also able to explore healthy eating habits and how the body needs nutrients to grow and stay healthy.
Language and Literacy:
Language and Literacy:
talk, talk, talk, talk, talk!!! When cooking with children, be sure to have continual conversation. Narrating what you are doing allows children to place language to the action and understand the process at a higher level. For example, when cracking an egg into the batter, one could narrate, "I am going to crack the egg into the batter so that when we bake the cake it sticks together and doesn't just fall apart because that's what the eggs are for in the cake. I am also going to be sure to not get any of the shell in the batter because it is not safe for us to eat eggshell, so I am going to do it very gently and slowly, watching with my eyes to see if any shell accidently gets in there..." With this short narrative, you have explained the process, the why, the how of baking, and given an extension of knowledge to healthy living.
Secondly, when engaging in cooking with young children, be sure to try to use a written recipe so that the children can follow along and have exposure to the written language and numbers.
Lastly, to extend the activity even further, have your children write the recipe themselves (even if it's just scribble) as well as engaging them in the grocery shopping process prior and creating the shopping list together (see the archived strategies for Grocery Store Learning).
Developmental Milestones of Cooking
Developmental Milestones of Cooking
2 Year Olds
2 Year Olds
Two-year-olds are learning to use the large muscles in their arms and are able to do the following activities:
scrubbing vegetables and fruits
carrying items to and from the table
washing and tearing vegetable greens
counting ingredients
scribble on a page to represent recipe/grocery lists
hand mixing
3 year olds
3 year olds
Three-year-olds are learning to use their hands and should be able to do the following activities:
pouring liquids into batter
mixing batter or other dry and wet ingredients together
shaking a drink in a closed container
spreading butters or spreads
kneading dough
washing vegetables and fruit
serving goods
putting things in the trash after cooking
write out the recipe/grocery list with word-like scribbles
4/5 year olds
4/5 year olds
Four and five-year-olds are learning to control fine motor muscles in their fingers and should be able to do the following activities:
juicing oranges, lemons, and limes
peeling some fruits and vegetables
scrubbing fruits and vegetables
cutting some fruits and vegetables with a child-safe utensil
measuring dry ingredients
mixing ingredients
setting the table
cleaning table after cooking
clearing the table
write out the recipe/grocery list with some letter recognition
Recipes to try
Recipes to try
Pandesal (Bread roll)
Back in December, we talked about traditions. This child's family makes bread rolls using mom's filipino roll recipe. Pandesal (Bread roll)
4 Cups all purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
4 tbsp oil
bread crumbs for texture
PROCEDURE:
In a stand mixer add the flour, sugar, yeast mix it well with the whisk then add the salt. Using the dough hook attachment mix it on a low speed and then slowly add the milk and oil until a dough is formed. Knead the dough at medium speed until the dough becomes smooth. ( you can also knead it by hand if stand mixer is unavailable )
Transfer the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a damp towel or cling wrap for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
After 1 hour remove the air bubbles in the dough by gently punching it in the middle. transfer the dough in a clean flat surface then cut it into 24 equal pieces and shape it into a ball then roll the dough ball in the bread crumbs. Place the dough ball in a baking tray with parchment paper, when all 24 pieces are in the tray cover it again for 30 mins.
After 30 mins preheat the oven at 350 degrees then bake it for 15 to 20 mins or until the top is golden brown.
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