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mumofone
18-05-2015, 10:30 AM
How often do you do it? I was going to schedule it in once a week but is this too little/too much? Also would OFSTED frown upon chocolate recipes or anything not deemed "healthy"?

tess1981
18-05-2015, 10:38 AM
This is the one activity I hate doing with my mindees as everything goes everywhere and then I eat it..... I do not do it half as much as I should but sometimes they help me make dinner putting stuff into the pan such as pasta or they stir the pot.... I think once a week would be plenty to be honest and if you make unhealthy choices you can argue you only do it once a week and as part of a balanced diet they need a little sugar or fat that's why you limit the number of times you bake. But that's just my opinion

greenfaerie
18-05-2015, 10:39 AM
I can't tell you what Ofsted would want to see, but I have baking scheduled for every Friday, which contributes to the Teatime food. Alternate weeks are homemade pizza, and I've also planned for banana bread, scones, banana oat cookies, fruit crumble and fruit pancakes. All recipes are sugar free. (Since I don't let my daughter have sweet treats really)

I don't actually have any children signed up for Friday care yet, so whether or not this is practical I couldn't tell you. :)

loocyloo
18-05-2015, 11:23 AM
I used to try and cook with each child each half term ...
But haven't lately.
However ... They pour their own drinks, make own sandwiches, spread toast, cut fruit and veg ... so they do do it, just not with anything to take home!

mama2three
18-05-2015, 11:32 AM
It depends on the children , sometimes we bake lot , sometimes hardly at all. Last time was at easter!!
we do make playdo regularly , and everyone helps with snacks and meals - so they are practicing the same skills.
Im not a great fan of planning a particular activity for a regular specific slot - as so much changes....mood , interests , weather etc.....

Fitrix
18-05-2015, 12:04 PM
I love providing baking activities for kids. Even tiny ones can squidge dough and mess around with cookie cutters. The older ones love cutting out cookies (I have every shape/theme ever sold from snowflakes to transport vehicles to alphabet letters so can easily incorporate cookies into any theme we/they are doing). I also like to let the after schoolers free reign on premade cupcakes or cookies with lots of icing pens/tubes of coloured icing and a variety of sprinkles. You wouldn't believe the different cake toppers /sprinkles and decorations you can get off ebay at very little cost. Their creations are mostly hideously over piled and drippy but they love it and (thankfully) proudly take some home.
As far as ofsted are concerned, I couldn't give a sprinkle what they think - it's great fun and good for the kids creativity/sharing/talking about what they're doing.

Rubybubbles
18-05-2015, 12:15 PM
I used to, but now I have 2 under 16 months so not so easy with them crawling about

My 3yr old does help make her own lunch, chop things, make play dough .....

FloraDora
18-05-2015, 01:11 PM
I bake regularly, probably each child will have the opportunity to access baking something from scratch through to eating once a fortnight.
Like others though they daily spread toast, prepare fruit snack,and often ice pre made biscuits/ cakes.

Our baking from scratch is usually to be eaten at lunch or snack - pizza and other bread dough based lunches. Fish goujons, chopped vegetables, flap jack, carrot cake, oatmeal biscuits, fruit smoothies, bread sticks, scones etc..

I think it is actually ok to have an occasional biscuit and cake and children are fine eating them, they run off so much anyway...children need a different diet to an adult who watches their weight. It's not good to get into the habit of having lots of biscuits and snacks but now and then is fine, it doesn't start a craving for sugar based snacks.

AliceK
18-05-2015, 01:16 PM
We do baking as and when the mood takes. We actually made cup cakes at my last Ofsted inspection and the children even had their own spoon to lick the cake mixture from the bowl after the cakes went in the oven. I was slightly concerned that the inspector might freak out at that (raw eggs etc) but I explained why we did it and that the risk of salmonella from doing this was so minimal etc etc. She actually agreed with me that it's things like doing that which make childhood memories.

xxx

Maza
18-05-2015, 01:30 PM
I used to plan a cooking/baking activity once a week with my 2/3 year olds. It might be a cookie/cupcake or it might be fruit kabobs, smoothies, sandwiches, pizzas, salads, toasties, sausage rolls, bread, chappatis, birdcake for the birds etc. I think the sweet ingredients are fine if they have an otherwise healthy diet at yours. I used to put it under 'Physical' in my planning, but as we all know it covers many more areas. Now I don't do it once a week but I do make food prep an integral part of our day. Sometimes when we are near a particular festival or event we might do a planned baking activity twice a week. Just be careful that you don't plough all of your hard earned money back into providing activities for your mindee!

Mouse
18-05-2015, 02:44 PM
It really depends how old the children are and how often they're with you.

Most of my mindees only come once or twice a week, so I wouldn't plan to bake with them every week as it would mean they were doing it every time they were here! I know they cook/bake with parents so it's not something I worry about much.

They all help with making lunch, so they are experiencing some food preparation.

bunyip
18-05-2015, 03:25 PM
How often do you do it? I was going to schedule it in once a week but is this too little/too much? Also would OFSTED frown upon chocolate recipes or anything not deemed "healthy"?

There is a huge quantity of 8ollox spoken in the childcare world about "healthy eating", with too many people hung up on whether an individual item of food is "healthy" or "unhealthy". People need a healthy diet, rather than a collection of "healthy foods". In fact, dieticians and dentists are constantly warning about how many children are getting obese and having their teeth fall out whilst eating almost exclusively so-called "healthy food."

That said, I wouldn't be surprised at an inspectre being one of the unscientific "healthy food" fascist types, so be prepared to point out how anything you bake can form part of an all-round healthy diet.

To that end, I keep a copy of the LA's school dinners menu which has to pass the "healthy eating test". Individual items on it include:-

Meringue nest, grapes and cream
apple crumble & custard
Eton mess cupcake
cheesecake & cream
burger
Pork, stuffing & gravy
Jelly
Ice cream
Sausage, gravy & Yorkshire pudding
Butterscotch tart

natlou82
18-05-2015, 03:49 PM
I love to bake with the mindees and sometimes we do a lot and other times not so much. We've done pizzas, biscuits, cakes and puddings. I agree that these things form part of an all round balanced diet as long as they are not having them all the time.

bunyip
18-05-2015, 03:52 PM
Btw, I stopped baking with the children.......................... they just kept getting out of the oven. :D

FloraDora
18-05-2015, 04:36 PM
I used to plan a cooking/baking activity once a week with my 2/3 year olds. It might be a cookie/cupcake or it might be fruit kabobs, smoothies, sandwiches, pizzas, salads, toasties, sausage rolls, bread, chappatis, birdcake for the birds etc. I think the sweet ingredients are fine if they have an otherwise healthy diet at yours. I used to put it under 'Physical' in my planning, but as we all know it covers many more areas. Now I don't do it once a week but I do make food prep an integral part of our day. Sometimes when we are near a particular festival or event we might do a planned baking activity twice a week. Just be careful that you don't plough all of your hard earned money back into providing activities for your mindee!

This is why we eat what we cook / bake and it comes under the food budget of the business. Only at Easter do they take home what they bake - choc nests with eggs - as it is also the easter treat from me - so then comes under gifts section.

Maza
18-05-2015, 05:42 PM
This is why we eat what we cook / bake and it comes under the food budget of the business. Only at Easter do they take home what they bake - choc nests with eggs - as it is also the easter treat from me - so then comes under gifts section.

Great philosophy.