When the kiddos have off from school it is always a mental challenge on how we can make this day work for all parties involved. I would love to say lets just have a pajama day and watch movies, or go for a walk and play outside. Problem is that only works for maybe one hour before they start fighting and Mommy wants to grab a bottle of wine (some would think 7 am is to early to pop a bottle). I need to at least make it until noon because hey its 5:00pm somewhere (I kid I kid 🙂 ). So to prevent that bottle from opening I have to get creative. This week they happen to have two days off one mid week and one on Friday. The mid week one I decided to do with a friend for each child. The weekend I warned them with be a family day.
I gave them different options for the day, crafts, games, or cooking. They chose cooking. We decided to make a baking competition. We first went for a hike to get out some energy. This gave them some fresh air and good start to their day. My rule on a beautiful day is to always spend some time outside. Fresh air is so important to all of us and we enjoy our outdoor time.
Then they sat with cook books, the teams happened to be boys vs girls. They each picked out their own recipes. I sat with each team separately. I had them read to me the recipe. They had to write down the kitchen equipment they needed and the ingredients. We reviewed how complicated the recipe was and some choices were vetoed, because Mommy could see into the future and the mess and fights that would occur would cause Mommy to pop that bottle early.
How the BAKE off worked:
- Make teams- in our house it happened to be Boys vs Girls
- Pick a recipe- The teams both sat with their own cookbooks. They picked a few recipes each and I reviewed them with them. We talked about time and how complicated some were. We narrowed it down to one recipe each.
- Look at the recipe- Each team had to read through their recipe. They had to write down the kitchen equipment they needed and the ingredients for the recipe. We then looked over the lists together. We crossed out items I knew we had in the Kitchen. For the bigger kiddos, I had them look for the items themselves in the kitchen.
- Go to the Grocery store- Depending on ages the kiddos may want to do different things. My older children wanted to explore the store on their own. They asked to look for their ingredients on their own but quickly returned when they could not “find” their ingredients (typical). We collected all ingredients needed and then headed home. The store was a great learning experience for everyone. The were able to learn where some items may be located, prices of items and what to look for in the packaging.
- Let the BAKE OFF begin- Each team had their own time in the kitchen alone. They alternated as some items had to set or bake. I assisted when needed. For the younger kiddos I was hands on and for the older ones, I attached from a distance and provided help when necessary. The older ones liked the independence and gained confidence in what they were doing.
- Judging- We let the Dads and Grandparents be the judges. We had three different categories.
- Presentation
- Taste
- Creativity
SURPRISE SURPRISE! It was a tie. No one had the heart to choose one over the other. No worries, all involved had a great time learning and creating. This is was a great way to spend the day with the kiddos and friends. We will definite do this again!
Let us know if you do it, how it went and what you may have added!
Some great children’s Cookbooks we have used: