Baking in Language

How was everyone's holiday 🐰🥕🐣🐥 weekend?! Mine was FABULOUS. My husband and I drove up to the Grand Canyon, where we ate at El Tovar restaurant with a BIG huge window where we could see the canyon from. Here are a few of my favorite pictures...

Okay, anyways!

Who doesn't like sweet treats?

🍪🍥🎂🍬🍭🍩🍦🍨🍧 

Although I try to be good, we all know that a delicious something or other is fun to have every now and then.

I LOVE to run speech and language therapy groups in the kitchen. Parents, we all know you spend more time in the kitchen than you would probably like to. So, why not get your kiddies in there every now and then to help out!

Recently, we made Oreo Treats- ya know, instead of Rice Krispie Treats?! They. Were. Delicious.

I'm going to walk you through the steps on how to make this, and how to encourage language and independence with each step.

1. Gather ingredients:

5 cups large marshmallows (or about 3 cups small marshmallows)

4 T. butter

1 package of oreos

Encourage basic concepts- Do they want BIG or little marshmallows?

2. Put the WHOLE package of oreos inside a ziplock bag.

Opposites- Full and Empty; Take turns putting oreos IN the bag; Have your little one tell you PUT IN to put more oreos in the bag.

3. SMASH the oreos into teeny-tiny bits! 

We used a rollin pin for this, but you could use the bottom of a cup, a play hammer...

Have fun with this- you can say SMASH, PUSH, CRUMBLE, each time you hit the oreos.

Talk about how the Oreos were once WHOLE, now they are in PIECES!

4. Now it's time to melt the marshmallows. Cut 4 T. of butter, and put both the marshmallows and butter into a bowl.

Have them help you cut. This encourages independence! Obviously stay right there with them and use a butter knife as well. They can count each tablespoon 1-2-3-4.

Talk about how butter helps marshmallows melt into a creamy mixture. 

5. Put the marshmallows in the microwave and cook for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

I love to play dumb with this kind of stuff... "hmm, now we need to put this in something that will get hot and help it melt together!" If your kiddo doesn't say OVEN or MICROWAVE, you could say, "I wonder if the microwave would help this melt, or if the refrigerator would, what do you think?"

If they say refrigerator, put it in for a couple seconds, take it out and talk about how instead of warmer, it's colder!

Take advantage of those opportunities that they get something wrong. Be careful to not shut them down.

6. Give the marshmallows one last stir, then pour the Oreos in and stir!

Talk about actions- stirring, pouring; Introduce some new vocabulary- sticky, melt

7. You can either push them into bars, or do what we do at school and just take a big scoop and put it on a plate!

YUM!

🍪 As you're eating this delicious creation, talk about the sequence of what you did; first, next, then, last.

🍪 Ask 'wh' questions- Why did we put the marshmallows and butter in the microwave? 

I hope this gives you some inspiration for more activities in the kitchen. If you follow THIS link, it will take you to where I originally found this recipe, as well as more kid-friendly recipes.

Thanks for reading! I can't wait until next time! 

~Kassi, the Phoenix Speech Therapist