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 

Taking Collections One Step Further

Does your family have special collections? Maybe they collect tools, spare change, stamps, ornaments, seashells, or photos.  Young children also are drawn to collecting things. These collections can help them prepare for reading, math, and science.

Sharing Treasures

  Gather the collection together. Spread them out.  Perhaps it’s a group of stuffed animals they line up by color, count, and name.  It may be toy cars, dolls, toy figures, books, or interesting stones. Collections need a special box, bag, or place to be together, so they are easily accessible for little hands to manage and handle.  

  A collection can help children find what objects have in common and how they are different. Children need this skill to look at words and numbers very carefully. Talk about which ones are big, small, a certain color, rough or smooth. Which ones are favorites? Why? Which ones go together? Why? Collections lend themselves to patterning.  Can you make two red cars and then a blue one pattern from a pile of cars? This is fun with money, blocks, and beads too. 

Grands’ Treasures

   With help, children may enjoy interviewing older people to find out about their collections. Help them to ask questions.” What is the collection? Why do you collect? May we see your collection?” 

   Help children by printing out simple sentences (one per page) for them to “read” based on the interviews. They may use pictures and memory or really read the words. Children can draw a picture for each sentence and make a little collections book.  For example: “Grandpa has a collection of tools. This is a hammer. This is a saw. Mom has a collection of flower photos. This is a yellow sunflower. This is a red rose.” Children can dictate a sentence for you to print about their own collection. Make a cover with a title, children’s names, and staple together.

Characteristics

    Learning how to group things together, patterning and counting is important early math, and science skills. Talking together with adults about the properties of items and explaining why they like certain things builds language development and self confidence. Children will be expanding their speech and social skills by finding out about the collections of others.   Helping children read simple sentences made for them and drawing corresponding pictures will help build early reading, writing, and math skills.  If children go to preschool or early elementary grades, they can share the pictures or the collections book. They may be able to bring part of a collection for “Show and Tell” on Face time or Zoom. 

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

Good Mental Health for Everyone

LIVE - Campaign for your Mental Health

  Mental Health and Suicide Prevention is every month, every day, no matter what is going on in the world. It’s OK not to be OK. And it’s OK to talk to somebody about this. A new documentary titled "Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health” will be available on YouTube after the U.S. broadcast May 28.

   The presentation explores the Duke of Cambridge’s mission to end mental health stigma for men but applies to women and children, too. “You can’t be ashamed of your mental health,” he says in the trailer. “You’ve got to be able to look it in the eye and go. ‘I’m going to deal with it. Here we go!’”

 “It’s about being confident enough to say, ‘Things aren’t great,’” says William, 37. “It’s OK to not be OK.”  We can teach children, “Here we go!”

LIVE - Love yourself; Include others

Here we go!

   Good mental health is for everyone, especially children. We can raise them to know how to deal with whatever “it” is and then, “Here we go!”

  According to Amy Poirier of the Great Lakes Recovery Center Foundation, Sarah Derwin, and people of the West End Suicide Prevent, this message comes home to the United States in the LIVE campaign. LIVE stands for LOVE yourself, INCLUDE others, VALUE life, and ENGAGE in the community. That begins in early childhood.

LIVE!

   According to their literature, to LOVE yourself means to accept who you are because there is only one you. You have a unique set of abilities that only you possess. To LOVE yourself also means to take care of your physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Start these things early with children and continue through their life. Relax. Close your eyes and take three deep belly breaths. Learn something new often. Say, draw, or hand write five things that make you special.

   To INCLUDE others means to understand that we are all different and that is a good thing. Everyone has their own individual talents and by working together we can make our communities a place everyone feels accepted. Call or Zoom someone and share. Draw a picture or write a note to someone.

LIVE - Value life; Engage the community

  To VALUE life means to believe you have a purpose that only you can fill. Part of this purpose is to help both yourself and others. To value life also means to help others find their significance. Tell someone you appreciate them.

 To ENGAGE the community means to come together to make a positive difference in the lives of others. We make a difference by having open conversations to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. To engage also means to connect with others. Look at the stars. You are a part of something bigger. Volunteer in the community

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

STEM Fun: Make a Five Penny Light

Observe, Question, Think...about Electricity!!

  How does electricity work? You only need one LED Christmas light to make this fun STEM flashlight to begin the conversation. There are many other STEM projects on-line using materials around the house. 

   Start with a few observations and questions. Count all of the plug- in electrical devices or battery devices in your home. How does electricity work? What famous American scientist experimented with electricity? Think: key and a kite. Children often start with seeing static electricity by rubbing a balloon on dry hair or pulling apart two cloths from a dryer in a dark room. They talk about electrons, protons, atoms, and matter very early.

STEM

Make a Flashlight...

  To make a flashlight that controls the flow of electrons, you will need sandpaper, five pennies dated after 1982 (copper coated zinc), salt, a little pool of water in a dish, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, four poster board circles cut a bit smaller than the size of a penny, paper toweling, a white or red LED light (use the least electricity), and clear packing tape or electrical tape. 

  Use sandpaper to remove the copper from the Lincoln side (thinnest) of four pennies. It should be shiny.

  Add salt to the water a little at a time and stir. Keep adding salt until no more salt dissolves (super saturated). Then add the vinegar and stir to combine. Now put the thin cardboard pieces in the salt and vinegar until they are soaked. Place on a paper towel. Now build the battery by taking one of the sanded pennies zinc side up and placing a piece of wet cardboard on top. Stack another penny zinc side up and another cardboard piece. Continue with the of the rest of the sanded pennies and cardboard.

   Place the final un-sanded penny on top.  Check that all zinc sides are facing up with a layer of cardboard covering each and the top and bottom of the battery stack are copper.  Pennies should not touch each other.

Flashlight

Electricity is ALL Around Us!

  Turn on your flashlight by connecting the longer leg of the LED light to the top penny (positive end) and the shorter leg to the bottom penny. When the light is lit, secure it with tape.  Can you make a stronger battery with more pennies? Can you recharge your battery by re-soaking the cardboard? 

  How does this work? When the two different metals surfaces (electrodes) are connected by the salty vinegar solution (electrolyte) a chemical reaction occurs.   The zinc reacts with the saltwater to create electrons and the copper reacts with saltwater to use the electrons.  When the LED light is connected, electrons have a controlled flow or circuit

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