July 14, 2014
Doughnut Monday!
Stand down! Not today! We are releasing this article after the fact so that we aren’t overtaken by doughnut seekers. The delicious doughnuts in the following pictures were made some weeks ago by the trainee bakers of the older toddler classroom at Lund’s Early Chidhood Education Program. They have been baking regularly on Mondays, making snack to share with the other children and trying out exciting new recipes. The doughnuts came about when older toddler teacher, Kent Huntoon, asked one of his students to choose from a recipe book. The book fell open at doughnuts and the decision was made.
The children helped to mix the ingredients together, roll out the dough and cut the ‘O’ shapes. The doughnuts were baked, not fried and mixed with spices that made the whole school smell like Thanksgiving! The bounty was shared amongst the classrooms for snack. And since I conveniently happened to be in the area right around snack time, I was invited to share some as well. They were delicious!
Kent and his helper work on cutting out the doughnut shapes. Another friend worked on the holes.
Cooking with children is fun and can also be a great opportunity for learning. Following a recipe encourages basic math skills – measuring ingredients, figuring out what comes first, second, third – and helps with reading and introduces new vocabulary. It is also a very sensory experience as children get to put their hands in the dough, use a rolling pin, hear the mixer whirring, smell the doughnuts baking. When everything is ready, it can be a great opportunity to boost the children’s confidence as they get to share what they’ve made with their peers and hear the excitement and compliments of others eating what they have made. Not that getting kids to eat doughnuts is usually a problem, if it was, being part of the cooking process can help picky eaters to engage with new foods.
I wonder what they’ll be making next Monday. I better clear my calendar at snack time…
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