Play Guide: STEM in Cooking

About STEM in Cooking…

Cookingisafunactivityforparentsandchildrentoenjoytogether!Whilecookingproducestastytreats,italsohelpsyourchildrendevelopSTEMskills.Elementsofmath,scienceandtechnologyarefoundineventhesimplestofrecipes.Conceptssuchaschemicalchanges,plantlifecycles,fractions,1:1correspondence,measurementsandshapescanbeexplored.Withtheguidanceofanadult,cookingallowschildrentoparticipateinahandsonexperiencethatallowsforbothlearningandfun.Let’sbegin!

Math in Cooking • Measuringinstruments

o Childrenwillusemeasuringcups,tablespoonsandteaspoonsthatcorrespondtoeachrecipe.

o Usingtheseinstrumentswillalsohelpexposechildrentofractions(ex.1/2Cwater).

• Sequencingo Followingarecipeshows

childrentheimportanceoforder.

• Adding/joiningo Whencombiningingredients,

childrencanphysicallyseetheadditionprinciples.

Science in Cooking • Fermentation

o Childrencanwitnesstheeffectsofheat.

• PhysicalScienceo Changesofstatebetween

solid,liquidandgases.• Lifescience

o Childrencanlearnaboutplantsthroughpickingfruitsandvegetablestoeat.

• Scientificmethodo Childrenwilluseskillssuch

asobserving,hypothesizing,experimentingandconcludingintheircooking.

• Simplemachineso Microwaves,ovensand

blenderscanbeused.

How can YOU enhance STEM learning through cooking?

TherearemanywaysparentscanexplicitlyhighlighttheseSTEMprinciplesincooking.Onewayyoucanhelpyourchildrengetthemostoutofthislearningexperienceisthroughaskingquestions!Makesuretoguideyourchildren’sthoughtprocessthroughoutthecookingprocesstomakesuretheymakevaluableconnectionsbetweencookingaspectsandSTEM.Forexample…

• “Thisrecipecallsfor2cupsofwaterand2cupsofsugar.Howmanycupsintotaldoesthisreciperequire?”

• “Whatwillhappenwhenweputapotofwateronthestove?”

Ingredients: • 1smallapple,cutinto8slices• 3tablespoonsbutter,melted• 1[8ounce]canrefrigerated

crescentdinnerrolls• ¼cupsugar• 1teaspoongroundcinnamon

Apple Pie Bites

Directions: 1.Preheatovento375.Placecooking

parchmentpaperonbakingsheet.2.Inasmallbowl,combinesugarand

cinnamon.Inaseparatebowl,tossapplesliceswith½ofmeltedbutterand½ofthesugarmixturethenstir.

3.Separatedoughinto8trianglesonbakingsheet.Placeoneapplesliceoneachtriangle.Wrapyourapplewiththedough.

4.Lightlybrushbutterontothedoughandsprinklesugarontop.

5.Bake12minutes.Letcoolfor5-10minutes.

Relation to STEM: • Preheatingoven

o Useoftechnology!Showyourchildrenhowtheovenworksand,ifcomfortable,allowthemtosetthetemperaturewithsupervision.

• Combiningsugarandcinnamono Thisisaperfectexampleof

addition.Childrencanseethesumoftwoseparateingredients.

• ½meltedbutterand½sugarmixtureo Fractions,fractions,fractions!

Teachyourchildrendifferentpartsofawhole.

• Meltedbuttero Physicalchangefromsolidto

liquid.Observethemicrowave(technology!)workitsmagic.

• 8triangleso Quantityandgeometricshapes.

Talkaboutotherfoodsandtheirshapes.

• Placeoneapplesliceoneachtriangleo 1:1correspondence.When

finished,havechildrencounteachapplesliceandeachtriangle.

• 12minutesand5-10minuteso Conceptoftime.Usethistime

todiscussyourcookingexperience!Askyouchildrenwhatthey’velearned.

Want more STEM?! Insteadofbuyingapplesatthemarket,takeyourchildapplepicking!Thisisagreatopportunitytotalkaboutplantlife.Takeadvantageofthetripandexaminedifferenttypesoffruitsandvegetableswhileyou’rethere!

Additional Benefits of Cooking NotonlydoescookingexploreaspectsofSTEM,butitalsohasmanyotherbenefitsforchildren.Forexample,cookingincreasesself-esteemandpositivefeelingsaboutteamwork.Additionally,ithelpschildrendevelopmotorskillsandprovidesopportunitiesforparentstoactivelyengagewiththeirchildren.Bycookingethnicdishes,youandyourchildrencanlearnaboutothercultures.Cookingisagreattimeforeveryoneinvolvedandit’stheperfectrecipeforSTEMplayandfun!

References Benjamint444(12May2017)GrannySmithApples[picture]Retrievedfromhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Granny_Smith_Apples.jpgDahl,K.(1998).WhyCookingintheCurriculum?.YoungChildren,53(1),81-83.Galen,H.(1977).CookingintheCurricula.YoungChildren,32(2),59-69.KSerbinski(2017).Momtomomnutrition.Retrievedfromhttps://momtomomnutrition.com/food-and-recipes/easy-apple-pie-bites/Omondi(23March2015)OneChef’sHat[picture]Retrievedfromhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:One_chef%27s_hat.pngSmith,R.B.(1974).Teachingmathematicstochildrenthroughcooking.TheArithmeticTeacher,21(6),480-484.(30March2007)FallLeaves[picture]Retrievedfromhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fall_leaves.png