Since L was a baby, i've always had him in the kitchen with me while I cook. He would sit on the counter in his carrier and I would describe everything I was doing. When he was one, we started pretend cooking with different kinds of noodles and bowls. Gradually it has become more involved and elaborate and it's also become one of his favorite things to do. True it can be messy, but if know me or if you've followed my blog for any length of time you may know that my philosphy is
"Life is messy. Get over it...and let your kids have fun!"
The setup
Noodles, spices, tea bags, oatmeal, rice, dried corn, birdseed, dried orange slices, etc.
Washed and dried egg shells
A bowl or two of water is really the highlight and magic of the whole thing.
It allows them to mix things, experiment, and really feel like they are cooking!
His delicious soup which he called "ornament soup"
Dessert
Cupcakes were on the menu for dessert!
I gave L a new muffin tin with some baking ingredients
(sprinkles, salt, flour, spices, etc)
and some playdough to serve as our DOUGH...naturally.
I then gave him cupcake tins and he knew right away what to do with his dough!
Then it was time to bake them!
I put the whole thing in the oven and we counted to 10.
ding ding ding! (literally I said "ding ding ding")
They're done!
Oh man he was sooo excited!
Now it's time for the whip cream!
(a squeeze bottle full of shaving cream)
and of course, who could resist tasting them at this point...
Think he liked it?
haha!
But he sure was proud of his cupcakes!
Looks good enough to eat! Right? errrr...
haha!
As you can see, L had tons of fun! Not only is it fun, but with all the textures and smells, it's quite a sensory experience for kids as well. If your still cringing about the mess, seriously...it wasn't bad at all to clean up. Plastic table cloths are a swear by item for messy projects and it really does make clean up super simple.
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Love love lOVE this!!!! I must let my kids do this today!(since they are ALL home!) too cute! you are such a good influence on me! :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome! You'll have to send me some pics! I'm sure they'll have so much fun!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great way to play! I am going to try this with my daughter! She helps me in the kitchen with baking and such, but this is a great way to let her do it on her own!
ReplyDeleteSo fun!! I love this idea and plan to share it with my facebook fans!! : )
ReplyDeleteFondly,
pink and green mama,
MaryLea
Just did this with my daughter today. It might be the most fun she ever had. Thanks for the great ideas. Your site is the best I have seen for toddler ideas...keep 'em coming!
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I love your blog! I hope you follow me at www.six-cents.com!
ReplyDeleteWow! You are a super mom! And extremely brave! My kids would love to do this. I hope I'm brave enough to let them try! well done! Loving your blog!!
ReplyDeletesomeone pinned your blog on pinterest and I thought it looked interesting ... OMG first off you're an amazing MOM, you rock.
ReplyDeletesecond thank you for posting/sharing these great ideas ... my oldest is going to have a blast with this, and my youngest will be even more excited. You have completed been an inspiration today.
Rachael