Children Learn Culture Through Cooking

Recipes: Learn Geography, History and Culture

 Families can celebrate simple recipes from around the world and learn a little about geography, history, and culture.

   Whether ancestors called it mousse, junket, blancmange, creme, pannukakku or Tiramisu, custards are fun to make with kids. Although all are slightly different, this custard takes ten minutes to mix.

  The STEM science concept behind custard is coagulating a protein. It is the process of changing a liquid protein like eggs or milk into a solid by heating. Protein coagulation is one of the main reasons food changes when it is cooked. You can look up the interesting history of custard and bread, too.  

Easy Custard  

This recipe serves four. You’ll need two eggs, 2 cups milk, 

Easy Custard Recipe

½ c sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons vanilla, dash of cinnamon and nutmeg (optional).   You can cut down on the sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon, especially if you are going to put chocolate chips or sweet berries on top.  Whisk ingredients together. Pour into 4 ungreased custard cups or put into a small baking pan both ungreased. Place in a cake pan with about 3/4 inch hot water.  Bake uncovered 350 degrees 50-55 minutes. It is done when a knife makes a little slice clean through. Cool and serve warm or chilled. Store in the refrigerator. Custard can also be made stove top with almond milk and no eggs if there are allergies.

Spotted Dog Bread

Spotted Dog Bread Recipe 

 Yeast was not always available for bread throughout history.  Here is Irish soda bread, Spotted Dog, or Fari. You will need 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour, 1 ¼ cups white flour, (or use only white flour) 3 T sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 3/4 tsp salt, 2/3c currants or raisins may be flour dusted, 4 T cold butter cut in pieces, 1 1/3 c buttermilk or (milk and 1 T vinegar or lemon juice set out), 1 large egg, 2 T melted butter. Preheat oven 400 degrees. Lightly grease round cake pan. Whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, salt, and currants or raisins.

  In a separate bowl whisk together buttermilk and egg. Pour this mixture into a center hole of dry ingredients and mix. The dough will be stiff. If it's too crumbly add another tablespoon or two of buttermilk. Knead the dough no more than a couple times. Shape it into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly, and place the loaf in your pan. Use a sharp knife to cut a 1/2"deep traditional cross in the loaf. Bake for about 45 to 55 minutes, until golden brown or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and brush with melted butter, if desired. The acid in buttermilk and the base in soda produce trapped carbon dioxide bubbles which make dough rise. For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com, wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Planning Visit Times Helps Everyone

Make a Checklist With Needs In Mind

Professional certified day care centers use research and best practices information to schedule children’s days.  Families and extended families like grandparents can use this information for success, too.

  Children have a basic body clock, needs, and rhythm at all ages. They need to be loved, educated, nutritiously fed, be clean, have fun, read to and talked with. They need enough sleep, plus alternating active and quiet times daily.

   When there is misbehavior, usually there is an above need. If adults make a checklist schedule with needs in mind, they can manage child care, reduce stress, and teach expectations. Here is a sample. For a longer day simply rewind and repeat. 

Prepare

 When young children are coming for care or a little break for parents, you can examine your time. What jobs must be done in your usual routine? How can you blend those with children’s needs so you won’t feel overwhelmed? What quiet and active playtime activities help your young children? What reasonable behavior expectations do you have? What are the parents’ rules?

  After consulting the parents and the basic kids’ needs, list a few goals on your checklist including being nice to each other and taking turns. You can sit down with the grandkids to discuss the action plan checklist, and read the columns together. They can add ideas of quiet and active activities.

Time Together

Discuss the Plan With Parents & Grands

  During your time together add some praise, smiles, hugs, or fist bumps for jobs well done.  Since you are changing varied activities often and meeting needs like hunger, boredom, and rest you are more likely to nip any misbehavior in the bud.

  Stove timers come in handy.  You can set the timer for 20 minutes “in time” with the kids. They get complete attention—no phone, radio, TV, or videos. Adults can get on the floor to play and everyone gets some exercise.

  When the timer goes off the children now have a choice of a quiet activity to play by themselves while Grandma does jobs she needs to do for about 20 minutes. She can check on them, halfway through add a nutritious snack, and praise to insure more success.  When the timer goes off look at the checklist together, check off, and celebrate.

   Ignore a little imperfection. Catch children being even a little bit good and praise when there are polite words and evidence of appropriate behavior.

  It’s time now for about 20 minutes of an energetic activity or a walk.  Review behavior expectations first.  Then eat, read, everyone rests, and checks off the list.

Don't Forget the Timer

Does this preparation always insure that activities go smoothly? No, but checklists, stated expectations, and best practices usually help reduce everyone’s stress. For many activity ideas see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons, live and pod casts.

 More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest