Is this (really?!) possible and what kind of things do you recommend?
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Is this (really?!) possible and what kind of things do you recommend?
I like to do these activities when I have all ages then you can incorporate all the children and they can all get involved dependant on their abilities. Little ones love to pour and mix and can be involved in decorating - sprinkles etc :-)
Definitely, toddlers love to pour ,pinch , chop , knead , mix , sprinkle . mine are making banana puddings today. buttered bread layered up with bananas and a little sugar / cinammon. baked for around 30 minutes. Mine all do individual ones ...if they lick their own spoons and mix in a bit of their own saliva and snot then noone minds!!! I have to add Im dreadful at baking , but the beauty of 2 year olds is they dont seem to mind too much!
Yes it's possible. Though honestly, it is not my idea of a fun activity lol. I like to get mine to mash the potatoes, egg wash pastries, butter bread and prepare the rabbits veg.
Just made sausage rolls with a 3 year old, and when I say made I mean took out of the freezer, got the child to milk wash them and then shoved them in the oven.
Unmitigated disaster!!!!
She poured the milk over the table and scrubbed it into the sausage rolls while I took the time to blink!! So I tipped them onto a piece of kitchen roll to drain them off, they all froze solid to the kitchen roll. I scraped off the stuck on tissue and painted them again and shoved them in the oven, then cleaned up the spilled milk off the table and floor (I swear I only gave her like 2fl oz of milk!!!). We are waiting for them to bake now in the realisation I did not first grease the tray :(
I hate some days.
I bake quite often with mine (2, 2.5 and 3). They love it. I will admit that I keep it cleaner by measuring the ingredients out but they help. They push the button on the scales to switch it on and zero it, we talk about the numbers on the scales, they mix things, rub butter into flour to make breadcrumbs, roll and cut. Although it is very controlled they do lots. One of the easiest things I make with them is cheesy biscuits (recipe below). Very simple, quick and cheap. We make them in a morning and they have some with lunch or for a snack later in the day.
100g self raising flour
75g grated cheese
50g margarine
1 beaten egg
Rub butter into flour to make breadcrumbs
Mix in the cheese
Add enough egg to make a stiff dough (about two thirds of a large egg)
Roll out thinly and cut into strips or use cutters to make shapes
Place on a greased tray and bake for 10-15 minutes at 180C/350F/Gas mark 4
:-) Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marz283
Sometimes we add seeds to ours.
A friend makes cheese biscuits with a foot cutter ... yep 'cheesy feet' :-)
The key to baking and cooking with 2 year olds is preparation I think.
Pre prepared ingredients that they add together, press blender and mixer buttons, stir or whisk is a good way to start and then when the routine of baking is established introduce them to weighing the ingredients, following picture recipes, getting ingredients / equipment from low cupboards etc...
We make smoothies and the 2 year old can cut up the banana add ingredients press buttons ( UW)
Pre made biscuit dough in the morning then they roll and cut using shape cutters....leading on to them helping to mix dough.
Bread machine made dough - they add ingredients - roll and shape - we have thin snakes , wrap around a Hazel stick and cook over outdoor fire. Dough is lovely to donate a little bit just for stretching and shaping - sensory time. They cut shapes and we use as pizza base. Balls rolled for little dipping bread balls for snack.
Cake - all in machine, press button....or mix with spoon. I have a children's grater from Lakeland and they grate carrots for carrot cake.
Scones - again they grate the cheese ...mix in the dried fruit.
Chocolate krispies - they break up chocolate and add cornflakes/ Rice Krispies/ bran flakes/ shredded wheat to melted chocolate.
Vegetable soup - they chop easy cut veg.
Sometimes they just ice pre made by DH cakes or biscuits. Jamie Oliver introduced us to fruit icing, a few raspberries / blueberries and mix in icing sugar -fruit is instead of water works a treat.
Granola bars - great as they can mix all the dry ingredients with fingers.
I have Lakeland spreading knives which is brilliant for aiding children made sandwiches, crackers, pate on toast, mashed avocado on toast etc...
Home made frozen yoghurt or milk lollies or ice lollies are easy for two year olds.
Cutting snack fruit themselves.
They love dipping chicken goujons and home made fish fingers in the egg and breadcrumbs - we have a little factory process line going. Ending with DH cooking them for lunch.
Let them help in any way they can, food preparation is all part of cooking and baking, then their skills build up. My ex food technology teacher husband believes in moving forward with technology and the children use every machine possible which is good for UW. I however still think there is fun in mixing with spoons and fingers so we do both.
And of course, let them wash up, my current two year old thinks this is the best part! Washing Bowls on low table and cloths for anything that isn't sharp. I cover the table with t towels and they wash and then leave them to dry.
Loading the dishwasher is also an exciting job here ( though DH despairs as he likes it loaded in a certain way....so reloads after).
Cooking with children is such fun, and lunch gets prepared too.
I'd start with just decorating pre baked cakes. Then onto packet mixes as they are quick to whip up. Then move on from there once you see how interested they are. We cook regularly my three year old can make up a packet mix (or pre measured ingredients) himself, the two year old has just mastered cracking the egg himself :) . The 18 month old likes the odd stir but his concentration span is small so it's not for long bless.
They like chopping and peeling, during our last inspection they chopped peppers, cheese cucumbers etc for their lunch.
Wow I cook with mine but these ideas are fab! Especially love the fruit icing idea.
We make things like banana bread and the kids love mashing up the banana.
Also pizza pin wheels are good for this age- pre made pastry - lie it flat and they spread tomato and garlic purée mixed together, sprinkle oregano and grated cheese, roll up and then cut into cm slices and lay them in circles on baking tray and cook- also can do sweet ones with jam or spread marmite with cheese although this can go wrong as thick marmite is pretty gross!
So interesting to hear what you all do :-)
With ds he has helped since 18months old and by that i mean he mixes decorates cakes and chopped soft fruit n veg. Now at 31/2 he can make curry a fry up n fairy cakes without help. Only needs help with the oven. If i was braver he could prob do the oven too. I was a chef so cooking to me is a big skill. His fave thing is to make spiralized ved for noodles and stuffing fish.
With mindies iam way less willing to let them do as much. The 3 year old isn't intrest apart from to eat it. The 1 year old loves to help mix and likes to rip up the lettuce. The almost 2 year old is more into it and loves to make cakes and pizzas on a muffin half. She also helps make the playdough n things.