Rebecca Beatty

Mix it Up: Baking for Kids

Thinking Inside the Box Assignment
LIS 60629
April 30, 2015
Mix it Up: Baking for Kids: A Take-Home Kit for K-2nd grade
Concepts Introduced
Baking is a science.
Each ingredient plays a role in creating the finished product, and using different
ingredients or amounts will change the results.
The origin of common baking ingredients.
Baking is social, bringing family and friends together through the process and sharing the
results.
Baking can be fun!
Goals & Objectives
Children will learn where different ingredients come from, and how they change the
outcome of baked goods.
Children will make predictions about the baking process and observe the results.
Children will use mathematical skills of measuring and counting while following recipes.
Children will develop fine and gross motor skills through scooping, mixing, slicing,
kneading, shaping, and more.
Bibliography
Best, C. (2010). Easy as pie. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
Following the rules of TV Chef Monty, Jacob bakes a peach pie for his parents
anniversary. Even with time running short and things getting messy, Jacob manages to
create a delicious surprise for his mom and dad. Melissa Sweets bright, warm, and happy
illustrations perfectly capture the feelings in this story of determination and doing your
best, even if things dont go as planned.
Carle, E. (1992). Pancakes, pancakes! New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books for Young
Readers.
Jack wakes up thinking of pancakes, but his busy mother needs Jacks help. He harvests
the wheat, grinds the flour, collects the eggs, milks the cow, and more. While exaggerated
and fun, much like Eric Carles trademark collage, this story gives young children a better
idea of how their food gets from the field to the table.
Ericsson, J.A. (2002). Out and about at the bakery. Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books.
A field trip on paper to the local bakery, where the friendly baker introduces his

equipment, ingredients, and the process of baking bread with yeast. A good introduction
to a baking project.
Gibbs, S. (Producer). (2015). Kids baking championship [Television series]. Los Angeles, CA:
Triage Entertainment.
Duff Goldman and Valerie Bertinelli host and judge a baking competition where real kids
create pastry masterpieces including cheesecakes, cream puffs, and celebration cakes.
Fun for the family to watch together and inspirational for young aspiring chefs.
Muehl, B. (Writer), & Jacobs, L. (Director). (1994). Gets ready, set dough [Television series
episode]. In Blank, A. (Producer), The magic school bus. New York, NY: Scholastic
Productions.
A field trip to the local bakery gives the class an opportunity to bake Ms. Frizzles
surprise birthday cake, but they face new challenges when the bus shrinks to the size of a
moth. Introduces the concept of baking as chemistryparts coming together to make
something newin a fun and memorable way.
Nakagawa, C. (2008). Who made this cake? Honesdale, PA: Front Street, Inc.
Perfect for fans of trucks and construction, a tiny crew builds a cake using bulldozers,
cranes, and helicopters (along with butter, flour, and sugar). Brief, simple text
accompanies imagination-inspiring ink drawings.
Numeroff, L. (2008). If you give a cat a cupcake. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
If you give a cat a cupcake, hell ask for sprinkles to go with it. And if he spills some on
the flooranother adventure ensues! This story follows the predictable format of the
popular If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series, but each page is fresh and entirely
unpredictable. A story that pairs perfectly with a cupcake (with sprinkles, of course).
Polacco, P. (1997). Thunder cake. New York, NY: Puffin Books.
A storm is approaching, and a grandmother helps her frightened granddaughter to
overcome her fears by baking her special thunder cake. Can they gather the ingredients
before the storm comes? Addresses a common fear in Polaccos signature style, pulling
memories from her own life to create a realistic story. Also introduces the idea that
baking together is an activity that brings families closer.
Priceman, M. (1996). How to make an apple pie and see the world. New York, NY:
Dragonfly Books.
Making an apple pie is easyunless the market is closed. Follow a girls journey of
selecting the best ingredients from around the world to create a delicious apple pie (recipe
is included). Whimsical watercolor illustrations pull the reader into each location: Italy,
Jamaica, Vermont, Sri Lanka, and more.
Sampson, S. (2013). ChopChop: The kids guide to cooking real food with your family. New
York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Over one hundred kid-friendly recipes, cooking tips, and color photographs make this a
great cookbook for older children to use own their own, or for parents and teachers to

find ideas for cooking with young children.

Webliography
Childrens Television Productions (2010). Hey kids, lets cook! Retrieved from
http://www.heykidsletscook.com.
Recipes from five printable cookbooks, interviews with child chefs, videos, and games.
Each recipe ends with a congratulatory You did it! celebrating the childs
accomplishment.
The Educators Spin on It (2015). Cooking with kids. Retrieved from http://www.pinterest.com.
Pinterest is a treasure trove of ideas and resources for cooking with children. The
Educators Spin on It has created a board filled with such examples: recipes, interactive
websites, tips, activities, crafts, and more. Many resources are connected to holidays and
popular childrens books.
Science for Kids. Food science for kids. Retrieved from http://www.sciencekids.co.nz.
Fun facts, games, lesson plans, and science experiments on cooking and food. Reiterates
the idea that cooking and baking are a form of chemistry.
Spatulatta (2015). Spatulatta: Cooking 4 kids online. Retrieved from http://www.spatulatta.com.
An award-winning, kid-friendly online recipe resource, filled with ideas for healthy
eating, cooking videos, and more. Includes an easily-navigated search engine and notes
on how much adult assistance is needed for each recipe.
ZOOM. (2005). Kitchen chemistry. Retrieved from http://www.pbskids.org.
Features kitchen chemistry experiments, such as exploring acids and bases, that can be
performed in a home kitchen or the online virtual kitchen. A good alternative for children
who arent able to perform messy experiments at home, school, or the library.
Supplies & Budget

Plastic tote, $5
Easy as Pie by Cari Best, $9
Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle, $5.99
Out and About at the Bakery by Jennifer A. Ericsson, $26.65
Kids Baking Championship, Season One, $9.99
The Magic School Bus Season One, $12.99
Who Made this Cake? by Chihiro Nakagawa, $13.15
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff, $13.03
Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco, $7.99
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman, $7.99
ChopChop by Sally Sampson, $16.07
Master copies of activity instructions, $2
Sequins and glitter, $6

Markers, $4
Crayons, $2
School glue, $2
Mini foil pie tins, $3
Measuring cups and spoons, $5
Ingredients for cake experiment (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, oil, vanilla), $10
Small bowls (4), $8
Plastic spoons, $2
Tissue paper, $2
Poster board strips, $3
Scotch tape, $2

Promotional Flyer

Streamwoo
d
Public
Library

Mix it Up
Baking for Kids

A take-home library kit for

grades K-2. Children will
learn social, gross and
fine motor, math, and
science skills through
books, DVDs, yummy
activities, websites, and
morejust add milk and

Decorate your cupcake!

Use markers, crayons, sequins, and glitter to create
a scrumptious treat.

Cake Chemistry
In this science experiment, each group will bake a cake
that is missing an ingredient. Make a guess about how
the cake will turn out.
Recipe
6 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 pinch of salt
3 pinches of baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil
teaspoon vanilla
1/3 of an egg (break the egg, beat it, and share with the
other groups)
Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Mix well
and pour into a cake tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20
minutes.
Group
Group
Group
Group

1
2
3
4

makes the regular recipe.

leaves out the baking powder.
leaves out the egg.
leaves out the oil.

My group left out the _________________________.

What I think will happen:
What actually happened (draw a picture on the other
side):
Songs and Rhymes

Im a Little Baker
(to the tune of Im a Little Teapot)
Im a little baker
Quick as can be
I make my cookies
For you and me
When I am all finished
I will share
Taste the best cookies
Made anywhere
The Muffin Man
Oh do you know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man?
Oh do you know the muffin man,
That lives in Drury Lane?
Yes I know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man.
Yes I know the muffin man,
That lives in Drury Lane.
Baking Cookies
I am making cookie dough Round and round the beaters go! (arms go around)
Add some flour from a cup (pretend to pour)
Stir and stir the batter up (pretend to stir)
Roll them, and cut them, nice and neat (roll hands, pretend to cut)
Put them on a cookie sheet (lay out cookies)
Bake them and count them, 123 (count with fingers)
And serve them to your friends with tea!

Make a Chefs Hat

1. Cut a strip (4 inches wide) of poster board that fits around your head over
your ears.

2. Do a hot dog fold (longways) with the poster board and unfold it.
3. Lay your tissue paper so that the edge meets the fold of your strip. Stick it
on with a glue stick. If the tissue paper is too long, you can fold or crumple it
as you go.
4. Fold your poster board back in half, closing the tissue paper inside. Glue it
shut with your glue stick.
5. Make a circle with your poster board strip and glue or tape it closed.
6. Gather up the top of your tissue paper in a point and wrap some tape
around it.
7. Push the point down inside your hat. Pull it down from the inside to make
your hat puff out.
8. Put on your hat. You are ready to bake!

Checklist of Items in Kit

Please make sure all items marked below are returned with the kit for the
next patrons use. Thank you!
Item

Return

Consume

Easy as Pie
Pancakes, Pancakes
Out and About at the
Bakery
Kids Baking
Championship DVD
The Magic School Bus
DVD
Who Made this Cake?
If You Give a Cat a
Cupcake
Thunder Cake
How to Make an Apple
Pie and See the World
ChopChop
Master copies of activity
instructions
Sequins
Glitter
Crayons
School glue
Mini foil pie tins
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Flour
Sugar
Baking powder
Oil
Vanilla
Plastic bowls (4)
Plastic spoons
Tissue paper
Poster board strips
Glue sticks
Scotch tape

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use)
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