Making Math Count for Youngsters

  Life is like a math equation. In order to gain the most, you have to know how to convert negatives into positives—unknown

   

 Families can use everyday activities to help children prepare for math in school and have a life- long awareness, understanding, skill and good attitude toward numbers and problem solving with numbers.  Here are a few family activities to begin.

Grocery Store Math

   Grocery shopping is an ideal place to use math skills.  Young children can look through grocery ads and learn to read the numbers. They can look for prices of fruits, vegetables nutrition bars, yogurt, and other things they like to eat. Point out money signs in the store. You can play grocery store often at home with real or plastic food and play money. Take turns being the cashier.

  Review numbers while choosing groceries looking at prices of apples to reinforce decimals and compare cost of items. While many items no longer have individual sticker prices, there are often signs for sale prices.

   With older children you can teach them to round off numbers and add or multiply. For example, your child can round up to $3.00 and figure out about how much two cartons would be.  Talk about how we arrived at that number. Point out how the estimate differs from the true cost. Estimation is very useful in life.

 Cooking math 

  The kitchen is a great place to practice math, as long as, there's an adult around to supervise. Half and double recipes.  Drop dough 5x7 on a cookie sheet.  What is the total?  Count how many pepperonis are on the pizza?  If there are three people in your family divide nine strawberries equally among them. How many strawberries will each person receive?

Mapping

  Show children how to use all the forms of on-line Google maps directions, and Google earth. Tap on street view to find their house. Tap on the search icon, navigator wheel and others to explore from your kitchen table. You can even plan local road trips to find water falls or look at the depth of the Great Lakes shoreline. Search for free National Geographic geography games for kids. Paper maps work, too.

 Change up

   Teach children to recognize the value of coins early. They can start a penny collection and read the dates on the coins. They can use pennies to count by ones, nickels to count by fives, and dimes to count by tens. Four quarters equal a dollar. Do a little at a time.

  Put a piece of fruit on the table and teach to count out the price of 45 cents.  Start counting with pennies.  When they are ready use other coins.

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

Photos, Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Sketches: Mark Nowicki

Zoom Cooking with Grandparents

“What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies.” – Rudolph Giuliani

Zoom Cooking

  These times sometimes require an abundance of grandparent ingenuity, too.  Grandma Cheryl has introduced Zoom cooking to her long-distance family.  To sign up for a free Zoom go to zoom.us/sign up on your computer or ask local teens to bring over a laptop or Chromebook sign you up and show how to use it.  Then schedule a time to meet online with multiple people for Zoom Cooking. Facetime and Skype are also available. Fair warning, you will have only 40 minutes before being kicked off  Zoom unless you pay for a subscription.

Pumpkin Cookies

  Cooking something easy like pumpkin cookies is a good start.  To save time, gather all of the ingredients and cooking utensils before the Zoom, heat  the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl whisk together 2 ½ cups flour,1 teaspoon baking powder,1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl use a mixer to mix until light and fluffy: 1 stick of softened butter with 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar.  Then add 1 ¼ cups of canned pumpkin puree, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla on medium speed.  Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. You want to keep the fluffiness. 

  Use a little scoop to drop on the cookie sheets and use a spoon to flatten slightly.  The cookie does not flatten while baking.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

  While baking you can make the frosting and catch up on the latest family news. For the frosting, cream together 8 ounces of low-fat cream cheese, room and 3 tablespoons butter, and1 teaspoon. Gradually add powdered sugar until you like the consistency. When the cookies bounce back up when touched, they are done. Ice when cool.

  Your time will probably be up for now.   You can make arrangements to call back and have pumpkin cookies and apple cider together.

Homemade Playdough

  Although it can’t be eaten, making and playing with playdough is another fun on-line activity. Mix 1 cup flour, ½ cup salt, and 1 tablespoon cream of tartar together and place in 3-quart saucepan. Stir in 1 tablespoon cooking oil and 1 cup water tinted with food coloring. Cook and stir constantly over low to medium heat until mixture looks like dough. Remove from heat, cool, and knead. Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. 

  Spend the rest of the time reading books out loud or talking.  Next time challenge each other to make playdough animals and people while chatting. More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Sketches: Mike Nowicki

Children Cook Creatively in Snug Mugs

Cooking Together Is So Much More!

Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes and cooking. It’s about harnessing imagination, empowerment, about creativity. -- Guy Fieri

 No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing. —Julia Child

  What other activity can we do together as a family that provides connect time, builds math skills, enriches vocabulary, teaches science concepts, boosts reading skills, introduces life skills, develops fine motor, and promotes social skills?  One or two others may come to mind, but cooking is probably on top of the list. Mug cooking is fun and child size. 

Mug Pie Cooking

  For four strawberry mug pies, you will need 2 pounds of fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon all- purpose flour, 1 thawed puff pastry sheet cut into 4 inch circles or squares to set on top, 1 egg lightly beaten. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine strawberries, sugar, flour, salt and mix to combine. 

    Now you have a choice. You can place all ingredients in an oven safe mug with the egg brushed puff pastry on top (baking time is 25-30 minutes).

   If you are not sure your mugs are oven safe you can use this second method.   Place the strawberry mixture in a large baking dish and bake. Separately place the egg brushed puff pastry on a parchment covered cookie sheet and also bake for 25-30 minutes.  The puff pastry is done when golden brown. When the two are done you can put the strawberry mixture in mugs and place the cooked puff pastry on top 

Imagination and Creativity - Cooking!

  Whether you use the all- in- one 

or cook separately method, cool for 5 minutes. Then serve. Add a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream. 

   Blueberries, apples, sweet cherries, or other fruits will work.  The amount of sugar and spice will vary just like making a pie filling. Any fresh berries or fruits will work. The recipe still makes a child sized mug treat. You can also make brownies and cakes in the oven and microwave safe coffee mugs in a matter of minutes.

Breakfast Mug

  Here is a fancy quick meal in a microwave safe mug that is adaptable to your children’s tastes. For each serving the ingredients are 1 egg, 1 ½ Tablespoon milk, salt and pepper to taste, ¼ bagel or similar amount of French bread, 2 teaspoons cream cheese, a little Dijon mustard, if desired. Beat egg and milk with a fork in each safe mug or ramekin. Add salt and pepper. Tear bread into dime size pieces, Stir in cream cheese and ham. Microwave about 1 minute 5 seconds. Stir. Garnish with mustard, thyme or chives. 

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
Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos 

Apple Pies and Kids Go together

You can almost Smell & Taste these Apples

The smell and taste of apple pie makes the home feel warmer when anyone comes in from the cold. The cooked apple pie smell swirls around the house and freshens the place. Apples existed 3,000 years ago in Kazakhstan, Central Asia. Later they were carried to Europe and brought to the American colonies. Johnny Appleseed actually did spread the seeds around the east coast. Here are a few easy Grandparent- tested apple pie recipes that children can help make in a short time.

English Apple Pie 

  You will need 4-5 tart baking apples like Rome, golden delicious, granny smith or Cortland varieties that hold their shape. Peel, quarter, remove the core, thin slice, and place in a deep dish pie pan. Children can use a table knife to help cut the apples into slices.  It won’t matter how the slices look. It won’t matter if the slices are slightly brown from oxidation, either. Place apples in a sprayed pie pan.

Try Some Grandparent-Tested Recipes

  Sprinkle a little less than one cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon on top of the apples and have children mix them slightly with the apples.

  In a bowl place ½ cup melted butter, ½ flour, and ½ cup brown sugar.  Children can stir ingredients with a strong wooden spoon. Place this mix on top of the apples, spread them around, and press down.

  Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven. Watch the last five minutes that the topping is the brownish color you and the children desire. Cool and serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or cheddar cheese while the aroma is fresh. 

Easy Apple Bites 

   The recipes from state apple councils have many good suggestions for cooking with children.

Try These and More

Here is one from the Michigan Apple Council.  You will need an eight -ounce package of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls and one large Braeburn or other baking apple. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper to avoid burning.

  

 In a small bowl combine 1/8 cup sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 ½ tablespoons of butter. Coat the apples slices with the mixture. Use the directions on the package to separate the dough into eight triangles on the baking sheet. Top each triangle with a slice of apple peeled or unpeeled.  Start at the wide side and wrap the dough around the apple. Brush the wrapped shapes with 1 ½ tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle a mixture of 1/8 cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Bake for 12 minutes and cool for 5-10 minutes. Top with whipped cream or ice cream.  They pack well in lunches the next day. 

For more recipes go to: http://www.michiganapples.com/Recipes/Desserts 

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com or wnmufm.org/ Learning Through the Seasons live and pod casts Facebook, Pinterest, and You Tube.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Training Little Sous Chefs

Make Cooking Delicious, Educational and Fun!

How can we help our children become foodies with a broad palate? How can we teach them to make their own food by themselves when they are a bit older instead of complaining, “There is nothing to eat around here!”  According to professional cooks and nutritionists, hands-on family cooking lessons in the family kitchen make the difference. 

  You can teach some easy old favorite recipes or try other resources to make cooking delicious, educational, and practical for busy families. Cooking helps with math, especially fractions, measuring, doubling, and halving. Reading directions teaches careful reading, questioning, and problem solving. Cooking also teaches perseverance because a lot can go wrong and cooks need brain power and creativity to make it right. While cooking, read out loud and go over directions to check for understanding. Very young children can get equipment out of the cupboards, do stirring, and learn to use equipment under supervision. 

Looking for Help

  If you want to get a little help and share expense with friends, there are cooking kits for kids. Little Sous Kitchen Academy is a subscription service designed specifically to educate and empower children in their process of learning how to cook. 
  The subscription service sends children ages 5-12 a box each month, and aims to "change the way kids learn how to cook." The boxes come with easy-to-follow cooking lessons, collectible recipe cards, activities, posters, stickers, and high-quality kitchen tools that are safe for children to use. Their website mylittlesous.com has a few archived selections to get started.

 Other sites are Foodstirs Baker’s Club and Raddish. They all also include special utensils, nutrition information, general cooking instructions, and recipes for a monthly fee. Check out foodstsirs.com and raddish.com. Families can take a look at the sample kits on their sites, too. 

 Families can also use the sites as guides for their own 

Try  Making Slushes in the Summer

simple cooking classes based on family favorites. Then add a little family culture, ingredient geography with a map, and be ready for fun in the kitchen. Older children can be great teachers.

Watermelon and Strawberries

 Here is one recipe to try: Watermelon and Strawberry Slush. Ingredients: 9 cups seedless watermelon pieces without rind, 12 ounces of frozen or 1 ½ cups hulled fresh strawberries. Either strawberries or watermelon must be frozen for slush. Place whatever is not frozen in a blender. Add the other fruit. Blend again.  If desired add a little fresh lemon or lime juice and/or honey to taste and blend again.Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day. Slushes may be frozen as popsicles.  Serve with some family  adventure stories. With training, older children can use a blender themselves. Encourage yogurt smoothies, too.  For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons. 

Photos: Fran Darling, darling fotos

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.

Pumpkin Recipes Add Nutrition, Math, Fun

Pumpkin Season Lasts All Year! 

Halloween may be over but the pumpkin season lasts all year. Pumpkin is an all-around nutritious food.  It is low in saturated fat and very low in cholesterol and sodium.  Then it is loaded with an array of vitamins and minerals and a good source of dietary fiber. Since November is one of the top baking months you might try these child friendly recipes.

Kiddie Pumpkin Cookies

  These cookies are quick and easy to make. You will need 2 cups flour, 1 1/3 cup quick or old fashioned oats, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 cup ( 2 sticks) butter or margarine softened, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar. You can experiment with lowering the sugar to ¾ cup of the sugars.  You’ll need 1 cup canned pumpkin, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. If desired, you can add ¾ cup chocolate chips to the batter or poke them in while the cookies are just out of the oven.  Children can drop them one at a time and push them into the hot cookie with a spoon.

Make Kiddie Pumpkin Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Beat in butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar until fluffy.  Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add flour mixture.  Drop a ¼ cup of dough onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil.  Bake for 14-16 minutes.  Cool before moving.

Kiddie Pumpkin Cupcakes

  This recipe is for moist pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with 

Make Kiddie Pumpkin Muffins

cupcake liners. Whisk together 1/3 cup oil, 1 cup sugar, ¼ cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Sift in 1 ¼ cup flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Fold in 1 cup canned pumpkin and then ½ cup chocolate chips. Be careful not to over stir because the batter will become gummy and change the texture of the cupcakes. Fill lined cups 2/3 full and bake for 24-26 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  For more cooking time ideas see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com, wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons, Facebook, and Pinterest   

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Pancakes Tempt Choosey Kids

Wholesome Pancakes Cure for Picky Eaters

Picky eaters can drive families crazy. One solution suggested by nutritionists is to serve wholesome pancakes more often because they have a texture children like to eat. They are a versatile food that can be made in advance, stored, and reheated in the microwave on a rushed day. They can be warmed, filled with a little nut butter, rolled, and eaten on the way to school or an afternoon lesson.

  Box mixes cost more than making your own. This basic recipe from Natalie Monson is cheaper and the dry ingredients can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months. Add the wet ingredients when planning to cook.

Family Favorite

   Mix these dry ingredients to have on hand: 3 cups whole wheat flour, 2 cups white unbleached flour, 1 ¼ cup powdered milk, ¼ cup sugar (or leave it out), 1 T baking powder, 1t salt (or less). Other flours may be substituted for gluten free pancakes.

  When you want to make 6-8 pancakes,

Try a Greek Yogurt Smoothie on the Side!

add the following to 1 ½ cups of the dry ingredients above and whisk together: 1 cup water or milk, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1 egg.

  Pour onto a medium heated pan sprayed with a little cooking spray.

Cook on one side until there are many popped bubbles and the pan side is golden brown with crispy edges. Flip and cook the other side.  Check that the pan side is also golden brown and edges are crispy. Exact time will vary. 

  With supervision children may place a few blueberries, banana slices, cinnamon and apples or chocolate chips in the batter. These fancier pancakes can also be made in a large batch and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

  Children old enough to use the microwave can warm them up a few seconds for an after school snack or breakfast. A syrup puddle can be used for dipping.  

  Very young children often like pancakes with a little butter, powder sugar, or dry with a few berries on top.  They make great finger food with a

scrambled egg, Greek yogurt, or a strawberry banana smoothie on the side.

Only Two Ingredients

 

Nutritious Choices of Ingredients

Megan Gilmore suggests a pancake with only two ingredients for very young children:  banana and egg. To make the batter mix up one very ripe peeled banana and two eggs in a blender. Ripe bananas have brown spots on the skin, but they are a smooth texture and sweeter than yellow/green bananas.

    Melt a little butter or spray oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Cook about 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Add anything else your children like on top. 

photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

More Vocabulary 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’

website: Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube

Pancakes Tempt Choosey Kids

Wholesome Pancakes Cure for Picky Eaters

Picky eaters can drive families crazy. One solution suggested by nutritionists is to serve wholesome pancakes more often because they have a texture children like to eat. They are a versatile food that can be made in advance, stored, and reheated in the microwave on a rushed day. They can be warmed, filled with a little nut butter, rolled, and eaten on the way to school or an afternoon lesson.

  Box mixes cost more than making your own. This basic recipe from Natalie Monson is cheaper and the dry ingredients can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months. Add the wet ingredients when planning to cook.

Family Favorite

   Mix these dry ingredients to have on hand: 3 cups whole wheat flour, 2 cups white unbleached flour, 1 ¼ cup powdered milk, ¼ cup sugar (or leave it out), 1 T baking powder, 1t salt (or less). Other flours may be substituted for gluten free pancakes.

  When you want to make 6-8 pancakes,

Try a Greek Yogurt Smoothie on the Side!

add the following to 1 ½ cups of the dry ingredients above and whisk together: 1 cup water or milk, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1 egg.

  Pour onto a medium heated pan sprayed with a little cooking spray.

Cook on one side until there are many popped bubbles and the pan side is golden brown with crispy edges. Flip and cook the other side.  Check that the pan side is also golden brown and edges are crispy. Exact time will vary. 

  With supervision children may place a few blueberries, banana slices, cinnamon and apples or chocolate chips in the batter. These fancier pancakes can also be made in a large batch and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

  Children old enough to use the microwave can warm them up a few seconds for an after school snack or breakfast. A syrup puddle can be used for dipping.  

  Very young children often like pancakes with a little butter, powder sugar, or dry with a few berries on top.  They make great finger food with a

scrambled egg, Greek yogurt, or a strawberry banana smoothie on the side.

Only Two Ingredients

 

Nutritious Choices of Ingredients

Megan Gilmore suggests a pancake with only two ingredients for very young children:  banana and egg. To make the batter mix up one very ripe peeled banana and two eggs in a blender. Ripe bananas have brown spots on the skin, but they are a smooth texture and sweeter than yellow/green bananas.

    Melt a little butter or spray oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Cook about 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Add anything else your children like on top. 

photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

More Vocabulary 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’

website: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube

Breakfast is Good Anytime

Make It Breakfast Anytime! Children Help, Too.

Breakfast is the meal of choice for any time of day.  Children like the texture of the foods and families like the nutritional value. Children can easily help with these meals of pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, fruit and yogurt smoothies or breakfast sandwiches.

Microwaved Eggs

Help children learn how to cook eggs. A microwaved egg takes only a minute. As children grow they may choose an egg instead of junk food after school. 

  Start by helping young children spray cooking oil on the inside bottom of a microwave safe bowl about the same size as the toast, bagel or tortilla. Show them how to crack an egg into a bowl, mix it up with a fork, and add a little salt. Cover the bowl with a microwave safe dish to keep it moist. 

Microwave eggs - Large or Small Dishes

Cook in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Turn the egg over and place in the microwave for about another 20 seconds.  Since microwave power and cook times may vary by a few seconds, families may need to do this several times to get the time exactly right. 

  Show children how to use a hot pad holder to remove the dish. Eventually they will be old enough to do this themselves and remember the safety rules. Now heat up some toast or other breads and place the egg on them with sprinkled cheese, their favorite meat, or veggie for a sandwich.

   If breakfast is being served as lunch or dinner, add a side dish of berries, favorite vegetables like raw carrots, microwaved frozen corn or peas. 

   As children grow older and more experienced they can make this morning meal any time. Microwaved eggs have a gentle texture children like and keep their nutritional value when cooked, as long as the egg is not overcooked. It should be fluffy. Teens can spice it up with salsa. 

Add Meats, Fruit to Breakfast Sandwiches, Anytime!

Many Nutrients

  According to the USDA, although a yolk has more fat and cholesterol than an egg white, when children eat a whole egg they are getting a large amount of protein plus calcium, magnesium iron, phosphorus, salt, zinc, copper, many other essential minerals and vitamins A, B12, B6 E, D, and others. 

  The method above is safe and nutritious as long as children receive help to avoid scalding from hot dishes until they are mature enough to use the microwave alone.

  According to the USDA,”new research shows that, contrary to previous belief, moderate consumption of eggs does not have a negative impact on cholesterol. In fact, recent studies have shown that regular consumption eggs does not affect a person’s lipid profile and may, in fact, improve it.” Check with your physician, however. 

photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

More Vocabulary 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’

website:  Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube

Making Flatbreads Fun with Kids

Flatbreads: crip chips served with dips

With longer days there is a greater chance to play outdoors and come inside to read or cook in a cozy kitchen. Flatbreads are one of the easiest recipes to cook with children. They are never fail and so versatile. Flatbreads are delicious served soft or baked as crisp chips and served with dips. 

Kids Can Easily Cook
  After washing hands, young children can help gather bowls and utensils. Then mix one-cup flour and ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl. Trickle seven tablespoons warm water on the flour while mixing with a spoon.  Mix in two tablespoons olive oil. If it is too sticky add a little more flour.  If it is too dry, add a splash of water. Help children knead the dough for five minutes on a clean surface lightly dusted with flour.

Young children can help!

They will need two hands and some muscle to fold the dough over. Let the dough stand for 30 minutes or cook immediately.
  Divide the dough into four or six balls and use a rolling pin to make round flat circles. Adults can spray the bottom of a small frying pan and cook each flatbread about two minutes on one side while children watch from a safe distance. Flip over and cook on the other side for a few minutes. The flatbread should be a light color with a few brown spots. Place a clean towel over them to keep warm.
Many Healthy Toppings
  Toppings include honey and bananas, peanut butter and jelly, diced fruit or vegetables, scrambled eggs, peanut butter and apple, turkey and melted cheese in a microwave, or any pizza topping. They can be

Add toppings of all healthy kinds

squished or rolled to eat.
  These can also be turned into dipping chips by rubbing them with a little olive oil, cutting into shapes like rectangles and triangles, baked and watched carefully for 5 minutes in a 300 degree oven until crisp.
  A puffier flatbread recipe is 2 cups flour, 1tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup water, ½ cup dairy or nondairy milk, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
   “Pete’s a Pizza” a book by Steig can be turned into a little play. Children become pizzas or flatbreads by lying on the floor. The pizza maker adds sauce by sprinkling a little water on them and then adds some tomatoes (paper circles or checkers), slices of yellow paper cheese, and other ingredients.  The last step is to tickle the “pizzas” a little to heat them up. The little pizzas will laugh like crazy.
  More books are “The Little Red Hen Makes Pizza,” “Curious George and the Pizza Party,” “A Pizza the Size of the Sun” by Prelutsky, and “Pizza” by Pienkowski. 
Sketches by Mark Nowicki
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

Kids Cooking Creative Veggies

Make Veggies Fun & Creative

Children love to cook when the food is made quickly and looks interesting. Potatoes are a good choice because they cook quickly and can be dressed up or dressed down for picky palettes. They fill kids up with a variety of vitamins and minerals.
  In 1995 potatoes became the first vegetable to be grown in space as an experiment for long voyages. The Incas in Peru started growing potatoes in 8,000 B.C., but the Spanish did not introduce them to Europe until 1536. Later the English brought them to Jamestown, Virginia.
  Thomas Jefferson introduced French fries in 1801. As we know, they taste good but are not healthy. Good alternatives to fries are roasted potatoes easily made with children’s help.
Roasted Potatoes
  Cut the potatoes to look like chunky fries. Adults can do the peeling and cutting into fourths the long way. Then children can use a table knife to

Even Shopping Is Learning

cut them into strips. If they need help, put your hand over theirs to apply a little more muscle.
  Place in a bowl and add a few tablespoons of olive oil, enough to coat the potatoes.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and toss until evenly coated. Children will enjoy carefully pushing them around. Then kids can organize them on a cookie sheet in rows one layer thick. Place in a 450-degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  Check and gently stir or turn occasionally. When slightly cooled, children may dip in ketchup.
  For variety try some of the 3,800 kinds of potatoes. In the U.S. potatoes are blue, purple, red along with yellow and white. Add sweet potatoes (not real potatoes) for the orange color. If children will eat them, leave the skins on for more nutritional value.
Dinosaur Spuds
 

Baked Potatoes + Veggies

Baked potatoes can be made into many animals and objects by decorating them with vegetables like raw carrots, cooked peas, beans, and peas. Speed up the cooking time by placing in a microwave.  First cover one thoroughly washed baking potato with olive oil and pierce the skin on each side with a fork. Cook on high in the microwave for about three–five minutes, turn over and cook for about three more.  Test for "doneness." It should be squishy. Check on it or you will have a rock.
  To make dinosaurs cut two wedges off the top of the potato to use them for a dinosaur neck, head, and tail and set aside. Mash up the inside and add butter to melt. Carefully arrange one wedge to like a neck and head sticking out of the potato and add the other for a tail. Children can add little pieces of tomatoes, beans, or sweet pepper for eyes and tail plates. 
Photos: Fran Darling: fdarling fotos 
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