In full disclosure, we received Snacktivities in exchange for bringing you information about exciting and educational cooking experiences.
Are you looking for fun ways to introduce your kids to cooking? Do want your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables?
If your answer is YES to these questions, and I really hope it is, then I have the perfect book for you! Snacktivities by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Jean Potter brings children (and adults) on a culinary adventure that gets them excited about cooking, learning and trying new foods! With recipes for 50 edible creations and activities, there is something for everyone and every palate in this book.
My son is only 5 years old, but he has decided that he wants to be a “cooker” when he grows up. He also wants to own his own restaurant. Since I am not the greatest cook and do not have a large repertoire of meal choices, I wanted to find a cook book that offered fun and easy recipes my kids and I could do together. I also wanted to find a book that offered a learning experience. Snacktivities was exactly what I was looking for!
Each snacktivity provided in this book involves a simple list of ingredients, easy to understand instructions and illustrations to help the child understand what he/she will be making. Since I am not one to cook a lot, I really appreciate the pictures as well since they let me know if we are making the snack correctly. Although the recipes are referred to as snacks, many items can also be used as breakfast, lunch or dessert options.
When the book arrived, the first thing I had my son do was flip through the pages and mark each snack he wanted to make with a sticky note. He had so much fun seeing what he could make and deciding what projects we would work on. This gave him a sense of control and independence. It also made him excited for making and trying new food.
Each snacktivity in this book offers a fun learning experience for kids. Not only do they learn to cook, they also boost academic knowledge. We already know that cooking involves fine motor development, an introduction to science and math concepts, builds confidence and fosters family bonding, but who knew it could help teach academic concepts too! By manipulating ingredients to create different designs such as planets, flags and words, kids learn academic skills while cooking AND eating.
We had a blast making various snacktivities in this book. Here is some of what we made and what we learned from making them:
Prehistoric Eggs
My kids love dinosaurs so making everyday eggs look like dinosaur eggs was an activity we could not resist! To make these eggs, we first hard boiled eggs. Then, we cooled them in bowls of water. Once cool, we used a spoon to crack the shells without having them come off. This was a great task using fine motor control and strength. It also involved focus, attention and following directions carefully as to not mess up the project. We then added food coloring to each bowl. I let the boys pick their own colors which made them even more excited. You can even mix colors which enhances the learning experience.
Once the eggs soaked in the colored water for a while they were carefully removed, again another task involving fine motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination and patience. We then very carefully removed the shells. What was left were amazing colorful patterns making the eggs look like dinosaur eggs. We then displayed them in a bowl of lettuce. We added dinosaur toys for a fun effect!
ABC Cheese Broil
Who knew you could spell with grilled cheese? This was an easy, fun and yummy snacktivity. I took out 5 pieces of bread and covered each one with a piece of white cheese. Then, with the help of my son telling me each letter in his name, I cut the letters TYLER out of yellow cheese. I placed one letter on each piece of bread. The bread was then placed in the oven for a few minutes which resulted in yummy grilled cheese. This is a great snacktivity to teach letters as well as practice decoding, building words and making rhyming words.
Snow White Snowflake
During one of our many snow days this winter, we chose to make this fun snacktivity that turned tortillas into snowflakes. First, we folded the tortilla in half. Then we used safety scissors to cut out pieces just as you would with a paper snowflake. This helped teach my kids scissor skills while also encouraging creativity and imagination. Once the snowflakes were created, we placed them on a baking sheet and sprinkled mozzarella cheese on top. We baked them in the oven and ended up with a yummy cheese treat!
As you can see, we had a blast with this book. We have many more snacks to make too! You can purchase your own Snacktivity book on amazon.com for only $9.95. Happy snacking!