Activity And Project

Cooking and Creating in the Kitchen

Grades
K - 2
Activity Time
About 2 hours
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Activity Description

Children will read Laura Numeroff's circular tale, If You Give a Moose a Muffin and will have a "Muffin Party."  They will write invitations for friends—real pals or stuffed animals—and everyone will enjoy eating homemade banana muffins at the party.  By following a kid-friendly recipe for baking muffins and by paying close attention to the environmental print in the kitchen, children will have fun and develop early literacy skills along the way!

Why This Is Helpful

Discussing the story and then collaborating to plan a "Muffin Party" gives families a hands-on opportunity for learning.  Creating invitations gives children an authentic purpose for writing, and reading and following a recipe provides children with an authentic purpose for reading both the recipe and the environmental print in the kitchen.  Not only does the cooking provide a multi-sensory, hands-on activity for children, but working with an adult on a multi-step process that yields an exciting finished product for everyone to enjoy!

What You Need

Here's What To Do

  1. Read the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin.  Talk about different ways to use muffins other than eating them all, like Moose does.  For example: to use at a bake sale, to use as gifts, to welcome a new neighbor, to eat at breakfast, to sell at a store, etc.  Write your brainstormed ideas on a big piece of construction paper and discuss what kinds of people might choose each option.  One option to consider is to use muffins for a Muffin Party!
  2. Decide whom you will invite to your "Muffin Party" and make a list of possible attendees. (Stuffed animals like to attend parties, so consider inviting them for super-easy and incredibly quiet guests!)
  3. Write invitations for guests, using the "Muffin Party" Invitation (or have kids create thier own).  Print out an invitation for each guest and help the child to write the proper information for the party, including the name of the guest, his/ her name as the host, the date, time, and place of the party, and the RSVP phone number or email address.  If the child would like to ‘dress up’ the invitation with decorations and designs (or drawings of muffins!), allow him/ her to do so.
  4. Put invitations in envelopes and help the child to properly address them, if they will be sent via mail.  Discuss the format and purpose for a mailing address:
     

    First & Last Name
    Street Address, (apartment number)
    City, State Zip Code
     
     
     
    Ex:   Maria Thomas
    3321 West Lake Drive, Apartment 3
    Allentown, Pennsylvania 18014
  5. Talk about where the return address belongs, in the upper left corner of the envelope, as well as where the stamp should be placed (upper right hand corner) and why we need one.
  6. Time to bake the muffins! Use the Banana Muffin Recipe or a favorite muffin recipe.  (Consider using the kid-friendly Blank Recipe Template to make your favorite muffin recipe more kid-friendly, as it may help make the recipe easier for the child to read.  This can be an activity that the child completes along with your support before the assembling of ingredients begins.)  Closely examine the recipe’s ingredient list with your child, reading each ingredient name and having the child write a list of items that you will need to purchase from the grocery store or gather from your home in order to make the muffins.
  7. Once the list is complete, gather supplies from the pantry, cabinets, refrigerator, and/or visit the store for ingredients.  Point to the names of items when possible (for example, point to ‘Baking Soda’ on the baking soda box, ‘Eggs’ on the egg carton, etc.) so that the child becomes attentive to the environmental print in the kitchen and is paying close attention to the words on the items and the words in the ingredient list.
  8. When all ingredients are collected, read the recipe directions, assisting the child with each step.  Make sure to never leave the child alone near the stove, mixer, or other appliances.
  9. Discuss the amount of each ingredient being added to the mixture, counting as the child adds one, then two, and finally three bananas or as you crack each egg.  Talk about the amount of flour as compared to water, for example, using terms like more than, less than, or equal to.  Set the timer together so the muffins are baked for the proper amount of time, and discuss what time it will be when the muffins are finished baking.
  10. While the muffins are baking, the child can help set the table and make place cards for each guest, writing each guest’s name on an index card or other similarly-sized paper.
  11. After the muffins have cooled and the guests have arrived, read If You Give a Moose A Muffin one more time with the guests, and enjoy the muffins you baked!

More Ideas To Try

  • Have your child write copies of the recipe used and give each guest a copy as he or she leaves.
  • Have your child write a grocery list of items needed to make this recipe (or another) and help you find them at the grocery store.
  • As you bake, discuss the measurements of the ingredients and how they are the same/different (for example, two 1/4 c. would be the same as 1/2 c., etc.).
  • Consider having your child help you plan lunches or meals for the week and create a big shopping list!  He or she can even look for coupons to match the list.
  • Read other books about cooking or sweet snacks, like Cora Cooks Pancit, Too Many Pumpkins, or Pinkalicious.
  • Use the Crossword Creator and include the recipe’s ingredients in the puzzle

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