My Blankety Blank Recipe book

Children learning fractions from recipes?

You know, I was good at math, but I never really understood some things about fractions until I started cooking.

Most recipes involve 1/3 of a cup, or some other fraction, and when you have to double or triple it, well, it is a great kinesthetic and visual aid to learning fractions!    The same goes for pints, quarts and gallons.  To someone that doesn’t know the difference between those in real life, the classroom may as well be teaching greek, if you ask me!   Learning to prepare meals from a recipe really takes learning math from the classroom – to real life.  I guess you could say it “brings it home”.

Maybe this is why our forefathers were so smart – they did more cooking at home!  

Children enjoy using My Personal Recipe Book

For those of you who are trying to find something else for your children to do besides go on the computer, how about getting them interested in learning how to make something in the kitchen, and recording their creation in their own blank recipe book?

Children are notorious for liking to help, especially the younger ones, and if encouraged, will often keep this up.

You could start with something that you need to make anyway, and give the child a task, like cutting something up (if old enough), or stirring something, while you add ingredients.

Having them copy a recipe into their own personal recipe book is starting a lifelong good habit.   A great way to get some quality time in with your children!  :)