The Power of Parenting

Friday, 18 September 2020

Very Blueberry Muffins!

Age Range: 3 - 5 years

Cooking helps preschoolers learn many skills and gain knowledge about food. Bake some muffins together and turn a Saturday breakfast into Comfort, Play & Teach™ time!

 

You will need:
  • 1 cup  all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¾ cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup  buttermilk
  • ¼ cup cooking oil
  • ¾ cup  fresh or frozen blueberries

 

 

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place 12 paper liners into the muffin tin. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, and then add the sugar and rolled oats. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, milk and cooking oil. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just moistened, and then fold in the blueberries. Spoon some batter into the muffin liners, and then bake for 15 - 20 minutes until brown.

 

Enjoy this more with Comfort, Play & Teach™:

Comfort: While the muffins are cooling, snuggle together and enjoy the aroma while you read "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" (by Laura Numeroff). It will be a nice break after the work you both put into cooking! Consider sharing some of the muffins with a neighbour. Your child can prepare a small gift bag and then discover the good feelings that come with giving someone an unexpected surprise.

Play: Change the names of the ingredients a little just for fun. Ask your child to stir in the cold goats, the baking chowder or the mutterbilk! They will laugh hysterically and then tell you how to say it properly!

Supply your child with some kitchen tools like a metal bowl, a short handled wooden spoon and plastic measuring cups so he can practice the cooking skills he is learning through pretend play.

Teach: What a great way to practice counting to 12! As the muffins get eaten, your child will learn about subtraction when you count how many are left.

Experiment with ingredients and compare the different results. Use milk instead of buttermilk, melted butter instead of oil, or raspberries instead of blueberries. What changes do you notice? Which muffins taste best to you?