Kids Valentine cooking projects work well at Center Time, especially if a parent helper is available.
The parent helper may supervise the other children or work with one or two children at a time in the cooking area.
Ask parents to come in a bit early to make them aware of the cooking process and safety issues before the class starts.
Keep it simple! Reinforce cooking vocabulary such as tablespoon, blend, half a cup (or metric if that is used where you live).
Kids Valentines Day Strawberry Milkshake
Gather:
- No sugar almond milk
- Frozen strawberries
- Small fresh strawberries if available
- A blender or a hand-held blender
- Straws
- A parent helper!
- Have each child drop a few strawberries and a portion of almond milk (measure with small drinking glass) into the blender
- Child places the lid on top and press the on button until they have whizzed up a healthy Valentines Day milkshake for themselves
- Child puts a small strawberry on top and inserts a straw
- Be sure to have one adult supervising the child and the blender at all times.
Simple Kids Valentines Day Pizza (made with toast!)
Gather:
- Whole wheat bread
- A toaster oven and or a toaster
- Bread sized heart cookie cutter
- Measuring spoons
- Pizza sauce
- Grated cheese
- A different parent helper!
- Have each child toast a piece of whole wheat bread
- Child presses Valentines Day cookie cutter on to toast
- Child measures a Tablespoon of pizza sauce on their heart shaped toast
- Child measures a Tablespoon of grated cheese on their toast
- Parent helper places toast pizza in the toaster oven and broils until the cheese is melted (children can watch and eat heart toast scraps)
- Place on plate and enjoy
- Adult supervises the child and the toasters at all times.
Baking Powder Biscuit Hearts
Dough
Children love to play with dough but many do not get the opportunity at home with busy working parents.
Try this simple kids Valentine cooking idea just to give the children a great experience.
Make the dough ahead for a simpler activity. This recipe makes about 12 biscuits:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
- In a large bowl, mix together stirred whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut butter into one half inch chunks over the flour mixture, and then blend with a fork or pastry cutter until the dough resembles a coarse meal.
- Add the milk, stirring well.
- Turn onto a floured surface and, with floured hands, pat the dough out gently.
- Divide the dough out so there is enough for all the children.
Preheat oven to 300ºF
Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper divided into squares with a non toxic pen with the each child’s name printed on a different square.
Gather:
- Dough balls
- Extra flour
- Kid’s cooking aprons
- Measuring spoons
- Heart shaped cooky cutters
- Cookie sheets, parchment paper and a non toxic pen
- Have each child gently pat their dough balls until they are about as thick as a half inch block, then cut out a heart shaped biscuit.
- Kids then make any shape they want with the remainder.
- Have each child place their heart biscuit and scrap shape on their square of parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.