Recipes

LADYBUG MUFFINS

Cooking with Eric Carle

For a fun cooking lesson, try making Ladybug Muffins after reading Eric Carle’s “The Grouchy Ladybug”!    Simply take an English muffin, sliced it in half, and toast it.   While the muffin are toasting, put a large scoop of creamed cheese in a bowl, add yellow and red food coloring, and mix it together until it is orange.    We then spread it on the cooled muffins, and added raisins for spots.  You could also use chocolate chips!

While cooking, you can focus on the following language concepts with your child:

• Half/whole
• Hot/warm
• Cold/cool
• Colors (red, yellow, orange)
• Actions “spread” and “mix”
• Counting with one-to-one correspondence (raisins)
• Mixing red and yellow creates orange
• Responding to “What’s missing?” (show a muffin with orange creamed cheese but no raisins/spots)

 




Here are some cooking activities that will work on language skills.  These activities work on sequencing (first, next, then, last), vocabulary related to the ingredients, vocabulary related to the actions performed (pour, dump, mix, cook, stir), descriptor words (how the item feels and looks), and turn-taking skills (my turn, your turn).  Have some fun with them!

Homemade Animal Crackers

1/2 cup oatmeal

2 tsp honey

1/4 to 1/8 tsp salt

3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 Tbsp buttermilk

Do not grease cookie sheet.

Grind oatmeal in a blender until fine.

Add honey, salt, flour and baking soda. Cut in butter. Add buttermilk.

Roll dough very thin.

Cut out with animal cookie cutters. Bake at 400 degrees (F) until brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

In addition to the vocabulary and concepts listed above, this recipe also works on the category of animals.  You can sort the animal cookies by where they live (zoo, farm, pets).

Scratch & Sniff Watercolor Paint

1 tablespoon unsweetened powdered drink mix

1 tablespoon lukewarm water

Several containers to hold paint (baby food jars, muffin tins, Styrofoam egg cartons, wax-lined paper cups, and old film or yogurt containers)

Mix together water and drink mix. Use different drink mixes for different colors and scents (strawberry, grape, lemon, blueberry, etc.) Paint on paper as usual. Allow to dry overnight before scratching and sniffing.

In addition to the vocabulary and concepts listed above, this recipe also works on your child’s creativity.  It opens the door to a variety of vocabulary depending on what your child chooses to paint.  Have fun with this and paint many different pictures!

Bath Soap Crayons

1 cup Ivory Snow soap flakes (Do not use soap powder)

Food coloring

¼ cup boiling water

Microwavable molds (candy molds in many themes, plastic ice cube tray)

Mix water with one tablespoon of soap flakes at a time, stirring constantly. Divide mixture into several bowls. Add colors to each bowl accordingly. Mixture should resemble a thick paste. Press mixture into molds. Cook in microwave on low for approximately 15 minutes. Keeps a close eye on these while cooking. Microwaves can vary with time and temperature. Remove from microwave and let air dry for several days. Remove crayons from molds, and let dry an additional day. These are wonderful!

Magic Bubbles

Makes long lasting strong bubbles.

You'll need:

 1/4 cup of liquid dishwashing soap 

 (Joy works best)

 1/2 cup of water

 3 tsps. glycerin

No-Cook Play Dough

1 cup salt
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Food coloring is optional
Water

Mix dry ingredients; add oil. Add food coloring to water. Slowly add water until desired consistency is reached.

Kool-Aid® Fingerpaint

2 cups flour
2 envelopes unsweetened Kool-Aid®
1/2 cup salt
3 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Begin finger-painting.

Silly Putty

1 part Sta-Flo liquid starch
1 part Elmer's white glue*
Food coloring is optional

Mix glue and starch together until it feels like a putty. If desired, add food coloring and mix thoroughly. When not in use, Silly Putty may be stored in an airtight container.

Be sure to use Elmer's White Glue, NOT Elmer's "Washable" or "School Glue." Otherwise, you'll just get Gak!