Learning basic terms, tools, methods and safety guidelines of cooking
For this lesson you will need:
Basket or bag(for collecting items)
Carrot
Clock
Coat
Camera
Cup
Apron and/or chefs hat
A bunch of cooking utensils (see below)
Recipe books (one for each child)
Book: All in Just One Cookie by Susan E. Goodman
And…
Ingredients for your favorite cookie recipe. (or see recipe posted at end of lesson)
Welcome Song: (To tune of Old MacDonald):
Welcome, welcome everyone
So glad that you are here.
Today we’re gonna have some fun
So let’s give out a cheer
Woo hoo!!
Clap clap clap clap
Slap(legs) slap slap slap
Clap clap clap let’s go! (when you shout “let’s go!”, do a group high five in the center)
Question of the Day: What is one thing that your mom or dad cooks for you that you think is really delicious? Pass speaking bear around, allowing each child to share their answer. Share your favorite as well.
Number of the day: On a piece of paper or a dry erase board, draw a number 3. Ask children one at a time to come up and see what they can create out of the number 3. Give them a marker and allow them to transform the ‘3’ into a picture of something else.
Example:
When they have finished, show them your creations as well. This activity will get them used to looking at the shape of the number 3.
Pass around the sticker basket and have children choose 3 stickers each, while counting aloud. Have them place the stickers on the sticker chart. Have children jump as high as they can three times, reach down and touch their toes three times, and then sit down and blink their eyes three times while counting aloud.
Letter of the day ‘C’: Print out the following clues, or make up your own to complete a scavenger hunt all about the letter C. Have children collect the items that are described in the clues. Emphasize the C words within the clues.
1: My COLOR is the same as an orange, I grow in the ground, and rabbits love to eat me (carrot). Place this clue in plain sight to get started.
2: I like to hang out in the CLOSET. You wear me when it’s very COLD outside (coat). Hide this clue next to the carrots in the refrigerator.
3: Tick tock is the sound I make. I try to help you to not be late. (clock. either alarm or wall clock, if small enough to hold.) Hide this clue in the pocket of the coat.
4: CLICK, is the sound you hear when I take pictures of you! (camera) Hide this clue behind the clock.
5: I can be CRUNCHY or CRISPY, and I COME in a box. Usually you eat me for breakfast with milk! (Cereal) Tape this clue to the camera.
6: You drink out of me every day. Usually I hide in the CUPBOARD. (cup)
Collect the items in a basket and bring them back to the circle where you will observe the items you collected. Tell children all of these things are very different, but they all have one thing about them that is the same. They all start with the same letter. Ask anyone if they know what it is.
Demonstrate how to write the capital and lower case forms of the letter C and allow children to practice in their writing notebooks.
Teach ASL sign and sounds of the letter C and ask if they can think of any other words that start with that sound. Teach ASL signs for Cat, Candy, and Cook.
Introduction of Topic: Put Chef’s hat or apron on, and ask: “How many of you like to eat? What types of food do you enjoy eating? Who makes this food for you? These people know how to do something very wonderful. They know how to take many different types of food or ingredients and put them together to make a delicious meal for us.”
"Today we’re going to learn how to put together something delicious too!"
Activity: Direct children to table where you have placed a bag full of kitchen items (don’t let them see inside!). Bag might include items such as:
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
Liquid measuring cup
Bowl
Wire whisk
Wooden spoon
Can opener
Butter knife
Sifter
Beaters
Hot pad
Have children take turns pulling one item from the bag. Tell them the name of the item and explain why and how it is used.
Poem: Give each child a cooking utensil and tell them to act out the appropriate actions along with the poem.
I’ve gotta wash my hands
I’ve gotta open the cans
And then I’ll whisk whisk whisk away
I’ve gotta measure it out
And then I’ll mix it about
I wanna cook cook cook all day!
(Repeat one or two times, saying it faster each time.)
Activity: Tell children they will get some practice using these fun kitchen tools today by helping you make cookies! Have children wash hands thoroughly and help you carry all of the ingredients and cooking utensils to the table. Show them the recipe. Explain that it is a list of instructions that tell us exactly what we need to have, and what we need to do to make perfect cookies. We must follow the recipe very carefully. Describe what will happen if too much flour, too much salt or not enough eggs are added. Emphasize importance of safety: Stay away from oven and sharp objects, only mom/dad may plug in the appliances, don’t eat things with raw eggs, and clean up spills right away!
Read recipe aloud. Allow children to pour, stir and place dough on cookie sheets. Be sure to let them hear the amounts you are using. (Explain that a Tablespoon is larger than a teaspoon).
Science: When cookies are in the oven, turn on the oven light and have them observe the
changes that occur during baking. Explain the effects of heat on the ingredients and what the cookies will look like when they’re done.
Story: While cookies are cooling, read : All In Just One Cookie by Susan E. Goodman
Pull out enough recipe books for each child to have one (make sure the books have pictures of the food in them), and let them glance through and choose a picture that they think looks yummy. Ask each one to stand and show the others the picture, and tell what ingredients they think are in that recipe.
Math (subtraction): When cookies have cooled, have children count the number of cookies on each cookie sheet, until all of them have been counted. Write the number down. After every child has eaten one cookie, have the children count them again and write the new number down. Say aloud “24 minus 3 equals 21 cookies!”
For fun have them open their mouths while you count the teeth left with no chocolate on them!
Service: Package the cookies up to deliver to friends and have children help clean up the cooking mess. While cleaning, have children each take turns thinking of different ways to say “delicious” (good, scrumptious, delectable, tasty, great, yummy, fantastic etc.)
Goodbye Song: To the tune of “If You’re Happy and you Know it”
If you’ve learned a lot today, clap your hands (clap clap)
Here’s the letter of the day (sign the letter C), clap your hands (clap clap)
Oh, we’ve had a lot of fun,
Now our preschool time is done (tap index finger to wrist)
See you next time (wave) and we’ll do it all again! (Clap clap.)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (in case you don’t have one of your own!)
Ingredients
½ cup margarine
½ cup shortening
¾ brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
¾ cup Chocolate Chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream margarine, shortening, and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla and beat.
Add dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed. Fold in chocolate chips.
Scoop dough with a tablespoon, and drop onto greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Serve with milk!
