Naturally Educational » Entries tagged with "Cooking with Kids"
Easy, Edible Sugar Skulls (Calavera) for Dia de Los Muertos
Today, we made easy, edible calaveras for Dia de los Muertos with the kids. Traditional Mexican Sugar Skulls for Dia de los Muertos are time-intensive handicrafts. Although most would technically be edible, you probably would not want to eat them. Since I have young children who are learning about Latin American culture and Spanish language with their Latino friends, I wanted to find a way to make the sugar akulls simple enough for the kids. Plus, … Read entire article »
Filed under: 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Art, Featured, History and Culture, Home Arts
How to Make Banana Ghosts (or “Learn from my #CraftFail”)
Last week, I promised the kids we would make Banana Ghosts. I bought my white chocolate and bananas and chocolate chips. I cannot recall where I first saw them but I had made chocolate covered fruit and pretzels before and so I did not do any research before diving in. Big mistake. At least you can learn from my #craftfail because at the end I will tell you what finally worked! I am not particularly crafty. No, really. … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Featured, Home Arts, Taste
Criss Cross Applesauce
We went apple-picking and have two pecks of apples–and now the kids know what we mean when we sing “a bushel and a peck”? So, we made some applesauce and I think we’ll make baked apples and apple crumble and possibly some apple muffins. This is a great addition to our study of apples as well as a prelude to the (very basic) colonial lifeways studies we do in November. I need to get a canner, though, so … Read entire article »
Chocolate-Covered Pretzels
Valentine’s Day may be over but we’re still enjoying some of the treats we made. The biggest hit was these chocolate-covered pretzels my daughter made. They are so simple and the heat is so low to melt the chocolate that your preschooler or even toddler can do them with very little help. You can customize the sprinkles for other holidays, too. All you need is Baker’s Chocolate, Pretzels (twists or rods), and sprinkles. 1. Melt chocolate on … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Bodily-kinesthetic, Featured, Home Arts, Science, Smell, Taste, Winter
Edible Dreidel Dessert Craft
We actually first made this yummy craft last year with a friend who runs an awesome music program for kids on Long Island (Shake and Make Music). We had a lot of fun so we decided to do it again this year. Although we are not Jewish, most of my heritage is so this is something I want to be able to share with my kids. Materials: Marshmallow Chocolate Hershey’s Kiss Pretzel stick Nutella (or honey or Marshmallow Fluff) and knife … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Featured, History and Culture, Home Arts, Taste
Pancakes from Scratch
At another Mommy & Me at Garden of Eve, Eve led us in picking wheat, threshing the wheat to separate the grain from the chaff, grinding the wheat (in a blender..though my kids have stone-ground grains at some local colonial-themed events), stirring in the eggs, sugar, baking powder, and milk, and frying up the pancakes. Unless you have a field of wheat growing in your backyard, you may need to take a few shortcuts–but making a … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), All Ages, Bodily-kinesthetic, Featured, Home Arts, Taste
Cooking with Kids
Cooking with kids is a great activity. You can do it rain or shine. You use mathematics to measure and calculate and listening and reading skills to follow directions. Science helps you understand what is going on. Recipes may be seasonally or culturally themed and even provide fascinating insights into history or literature. And then there is the satisfaction of a job well done. Home baked goods can be shared, donated, or sold to raise money, … Read entire article »



Candace Lindemann is a published children’s writer and educational consultant. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.















