Welcome to March, where we are currently living out the “In like a Lion” part of the adage about this month. We have rain! We have seen lightening! The wind howls outside our windows, and my dog, who is scared of her own shadow, is glued to my leg. The words “spring storm” are going through my mind right now.
This storm works in my favor because I hate going out of the house with a toddler in yucky weather. Sometimes it is necessary, but today we are cabin bound. I get to finish the laundry, go through and file some papers, and focus on keeping Fuller happy.
I have two activities planned for today’s fun- finger painting and waffle making. Finger painting is currently on of Fuller’s favorite things and waffle making is necessary for easy breakfasts. I like to use the Master Mix recipe from the More with Less cookbook, make about 30 waffles, and then freeze them. Then when it is time for Fuller to eat one, I pop it in the toaster and in a few minutes he has breakfast!
Cooking with kids is a great educational experience from any age:
Mommy needs coffee, how many scoops of coffee beans? Let’s count! 1! 2! 3! 4! 5!
We need to mix the egg with the milk. Let’s stir (motor skills) clockwise (directions) and count to 10.
Can you pour the water? (motor skills)
The oven is… hot! (hot and cold awareness)
When kids get older there are math conversions and the science of cooking all available as learning opportunities. And creativity abounds when you decorate or even plate a meal.
One fun web resource is Spattulatta (warning, music). Have you seen this before? The website is focused on cooking for kids. It features Liv (age eight) and Belle (age ten), and a few guest chefs, in their own online cooking show. They have webisodes that each have a theme and five recipes.
All videos require Quicktime, and each recipe is written out on the right side of the page. The site offers more than recipes. They also have basic skills videos, like chopping an onion. The girls were able to interview a celebrity chef, and have been guests on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. And it isn’t all about cooking- there are crafts to keep kids busy as well.
There is a Spatulatta cookbook coming out soon (Fall of 2007), which I think might make a great gift for my nieces and nephew. I’m sure their parents will love having them cook dinner so they don’t have to.
So I am off today to stay dry and make waffles. What do you do to keep from going nuts indoors all day?
This past Sunday our church had a pancake dinner and dying eggs was part of the program for the little ones. Fuller got to dye his first egg and he seemed to have a pretty good time, so why not do it again? I called a mom from our church and asked her and her daughter to come over for egg dying, lunch, and a possible playground trip. So, in addition to cleaning the house, I am needing to prepare for two two and half year olds to dye hardboiled eggs.
