Let’s take a look at math in the kitchen. You can use math skills like measuring, counting, fractions, weighing, and estimation. Utilize your whole group by having each Cloverbud help with making the snack. You can divide the jobs and ingredients among each Cloverbud (example one Cloverbud can measure the flour and another the sugar). That way everyone is involved. Here is a recipe that works great to give each Cloverbud a job.
Waldorf Salad
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 apple
- 1 cup seedless grapes (cut in half)
- 1 banana, sliced
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 T sugar
Prepare the fruits & celery (supervise children when using plastic knives). Mix mayo and sugar. Carefully toss mixture with dressing. You can use any fruits or veggies that you choose especially if you have more than 5 Cloverbuds.
A fun activity for your Cloverbuds is to fill a measuring cup with water. Pour the water into different bowls or containers that are different shapes. Does it look different? Now pour it back into the measuring cup to demonstrate that the amount hasn’t changed.
Bring a small scale and let the Cloverbuds weigh the ingredients and measure them in a measuring cup to compare two different units of measure. Of course what is math without counting? This snack mix will lend itself to weighing, counting and sorting skills.
Ranch Snack Mix (makes 7 servings)
- 8 oz. miniature pretzels
- 24 oz. Bugles
- 8 oz. nuts
- 8 oz. miniature cheddar cheese fish-shaped crackers
- 8 oz. mini club crackers
Put ingredients in a large plastic Ziploc baggie. Sprinkle with 3 Tablespoons envelope ranch salad dressing. Drizzle with 6 Tablespoons canola oil; toss until well coated. Air dry.
Measure one cup of sugar (or other ingredient), then measure again using half cup, third cup, and quarter cup measures. Talk about how they’re different. Then demonstrate that you can measure two half-cups and it equals the same amount as one cup. Here is a recipe for:
No Bake Peanut Butter Squares
Combine:
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cup peanut butter
- 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 t vanilla
Add to mixture: 3 cups crushed vanilla wafers
Press mixture into an 8” pan.
Melt: 1 cup chopped peanuts with 2 cups chocolate chips
Spread over mixture in pan. Let it set up before eating.
This recipe could also be doubled and the Cloverbuds could help rewrite the recipe so it can feed more people or even reduce it to feed less people.
Fruit and cheese kabobs are a fun way to add patterns and sorting to your Cloverbud math skills. All you need are grapes, strawberries, and bananas or any fruit, along with some small skewers or toothpicks. The Cloverbuds can make their own pattern and then draw the pattern on a piece of paper. They can make a quick dip with yogurt and a dash of cinnamon.
There are a lot of recipes that you can adapt to encourage math skills, so have fun. Happy cooking!