How to add baking to your homeschool | Baketivity Review
Life skills are such an important part of homeschooling and it is so easy to squeeze them into nearly every subject, activity, and lesson!
It seems like we sometimes put life skills into a box and label them such simple things; cleaning, cooking, balancing a checkbook, etc.
But what if we start looking at it for what it really is? The big picture. Whether its creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, resilience, empathy, problem solving- we're bringing back practical life skills through activities!
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page for a freebie, coupon code and a Baketivity Giveaway!
What are life skills?
Life skills are really simple. Anything that can be useful in your daily life is considered a life skill.
- Learning to communicate with others.
- Winning/Losing
- Learning to take rebuke, chastisement, or discipline with grace
- How to deal with failure
- Identifying and processing self-deriven emotions, or other's emotions
- Using unconventional methods to solve problems
To prove just how simple life skills can be, we're going to focus on a simple skill and show how it can be used to cultivate life skills.
Today's topic? Life skills to learn through baking.
Four Things Baking Can Teach Your Homeschooler
How is baking a life skill?
Baking, in essence, is just a way of cooking. Most of the time, baking can be used as an introduction to the kitchen because most recipes do not have to be watched, stirred, or babysat/ But they do have to have a specific precision, that without, could ruin a recipe easily!
In general, cooking is a life skill because it's a life sustaining practice. Of course, you can make it through life without learning to cook, or being a terrible cook- but learning to cook is the first step to leading a healthier lifestyle.
But if we dive a little deeper, baking is a great way to encourage life skills too!
The Importance of Following Instructions
Most baking consists of breads and desserts, both of which require great precision. Which is where our first life skill that baking can teach you comes from!
When you're baking, a simple mistake can be disastrous, causing the end result to be a far cry from what it was meant to be. Sometimes you can pull it off, but most of the time a baking mistake produces failure.
When you follow instructions, some of the important qualities it encourages include:
- precision
- accuracy
- information processing
- comprehension
Cooking and baking is a great way to ensure that you follow directions properly. Even if you're not a good baker, or if it's a life skill that you never learned or had interest in, there are still ways to give this opportunity to your children!
Accepting Failure and Learning from It
Our children will face failure a lot in their own lives, but how do we teach them to push through, to be resilient, to overcome, to show grace, and to learn a lesson from it?
It sounds a little harsh, but failure is a part of life that we have to accept and learn from. How do we explain that to kids? Simple. We let them be kids and then we show them grace too.
For example, when we're in the kitchen baking, my kids want to do everything themselves and this doesn't always end well. They make mistakes that cause absolute recipe failure because most kids just don't understand the need for balance and precision just yet.
There are no participation trophies in baking, it's either a winning moment or a failing one.
So sometimes, I let them fail so they can learn that there are processes and rules to follow, and there are consequences if we don't. If you don't learn a lesson from a mistake, the mistake will happen again.
Teaching your children to bake is a great way to help them be graceful learners and understanding people.
Baking Can Teach Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
It's typical that you get into the kitchen and can't find the right size pan, you're missing an ingredient, you lost your tablespoon- so do you give up? Nope. You find alternatives.
When you're baking, it's extremely important to follow the directions to a “T”, but it can be fun to experiment and learn a little in the process too.
If a recipe calls for an 8×8 and all you have is a 14×16 – maybe you'll want to double the recipe? If you have 2 eggs, but the recipe calls for 4- mayonnaise can do the trick. All you have is granulated sugar, but you need brown- add two tablespoons of molasses to the correct amount of sugar and boom- brown sugar!
When we learn to make do with what we have, to give solutions to problems, to provide alternatives methods- you've introduced your child to critical thinking and problem solving.
Does it always work out to our benefit, no. But it's an important lesson to learn and a great life skill to have.
Baking Can Induce Self-Confidence
You know that feeling you get when you complete a big task? You look back over what it took to get you there and then you feel pride, you feel a sense of worth.
It's even greater when you can share your creation with others to enjoy! When you give others the chance to basque in your success, your productivity, your completion, your enjoyment, it induces self-confidence.
What greater way to share that feeling with others than through food!
Baking can produce self-confidence because you can share your pride with others through great fun, laughter, community, and conversation. It provides an outlet to be creative, to enjoy, and to discover.
It is a creative outlet that can be such a blessing!
Why a subscription baking box for kids is a great option.
Providing the right tools to complete the task is the first building block in teaching anything. That doesn't stop with baking. You wouldn't take a child who has never entered the kitchen, give them your grandmother's hand-written, half-legible, recipe, and expect them create it masterfully.
No, you give them a beginner recipe. You work through it with them. You give encouragement. Gentle instruction. Help.
That's what a subscription baking box for kids does! They send you kid-approved, kid-friendly, and easy to follow instructions and equipment to complete the task at hand.
Best of all, these are specifically tailored for kids. Most allowing a little wiggle room for failure, providing photo instructions, and even fun activities and information to guide you through the whole lesson.
And it's delivered right to your door every month. Fun, educational, baking activity that teaches important and valuable life skills at your fingertips- even if you have no idea where to start.
The best kids baking subscription box
After a little research, we found that Baketivity is the best monthly subscription baking box for kids- especially homeschool kids.
What is Baketivity?
At its core, Baketivity is a monthly baking subscription kit for kids. But, once you start discovering the world of kid-friendly baking, Baketivity offers so much more than just a monthly subscription box. They also offer accessories, virtual camps, single-kits, gifts, and even a personalized cookie kit!
How is Baketivity different?
Baketivity, like many other kid-friendly subscription boxes, includes a DIY recipe, activity, and educational material.
Each recipe book includes easy to follow, step by step photo instructions that are perfect for kids. But, Baketivity includes most of your “dry” non-perishable ingredients as well. Not only are they included, but they're pre-measured. Making this baking subscription box a little more budget-friendly and age-appropriate activity.
However, we've also found that Baketivity takes the educational aspect to another level.
Why is Baketivity best for homeschoolers?
Lots of times, homeschoolers are looking for activities that are practical and provide room to further educational learning around the task at hand. Baketivity provides the perfect avenue for homeschoolers to build off of through their Activity Booklets.
While other subscription boxes central their academic portion around cooking in general, Baketivity actually takes it a step further and includes an educational activity in their boxes that gives deeper insight into a real-life application.
For example, our Gingerbread House Kit from Baketivity includes the Educational Activity that focuses on the steps of building a house. It pinpoints Foundation Facts, Construction Terms, and Tool Matching- what a great idea when you're baking an actual house!
This is our first Baketivity box, but their website says “Each box contains a colorful, kid-friendly booklet on topics they’re sure to love—from the history of chocolate to all about bugs—with exciting activities or games to bring each lesson to life (with lots of laughing, too!)
– Learn about science, health, history, and more!
– Simple and smart for every age
– Interactive activities for the whole family“
How to cover seven homeschool subjects in your baking lesson.
Want to make a whole homeschool lesson out of your Baketivity box? Find out how you can cover seven homeschool subjects while baking one recipe- this is a great time to craft your own unit study!
1. Math
This one is almost self-explanatory with all the numbers and measuring, temperatures and timing. But how else can you explore mathematics through baking?
If you have a younger cook, simply teaching the parts of a measuring cup is an easy lesson.
2. Reading/Lanuguage
Of course you're reading the recipe and preparing to follow the directions by giving it a brief go-through before you begin. But are you really understanding it?
Reading comprehension is an amazing tool that students must learn from a young age. By taking a moment to go through the instructions and having your baker recite them in their own words is a great way to be sure that they understand it.
For older students, have them review their experience through a written paper or detailed recitation to another family member.
3. History
Take a deep dive into this recipe by making it a history lesson! It's as simple as asking a few questions to get you started and then using the web to complete your research.
- What part of the world did this dish originate?
- How is this recipe different from the original version?
- Does this recipe include any cultural ties?
- Does this dish/dessert include special ingredients?
You can take these questions and craft a whole lesson, unit study, or deep dive on the topic of your choice!
If you're interested in purchasing Baketivity today, be sure that you use our exclusive coupon code Brooke20 to get 20% off of any subscription through December 31st, 2021!
4. Art
Have your student illustrate the steps that they took while completing the recipe. Have them add in the people that created the recipe with them. Draw and color their finished dish.
Maybe you can even have them use textiles to create a mosaic version of their dish. Fabric or paper mache to create their own life-size version of their recipe creation!
5. Science
Science is all about testing a theory. Have an idea, complete a number of experiments to fulfill the idea. Sometimes they fail, sometimes they become beautiful creations.
Cooking/baking is no different. Recipes are tested because ingredients can alter the taste, consistency, properties, and the finished product.
Take a tried and true recipe and look for alternatives to common ingredients, then test the recipe with the alternatives. Maybe you'll want to start with one change, then record it. Another, and record.
You make create a whole new recipe that you enjoy- or it may be a total flop. But you've had fun and learned about ingredients and how they affect our food too!
6. Health
If your recipe doesn't include nutritional facts, challenge your student to figure this out! With some math skills and a little figuring, you could figure it out!
And if you can, try to craft a healthier alternative to your recipe that is just as delicious!
7. Foreign Language
Did this recipe originate in another part of the world? Or maybe just another area that speaks a different language than you. If so, it's also very likely that the culture is different too.
Try to learn how to pronounce the dish in its native language. Watch videos of native people making the dish. Learn a little about the language and the culture as you dive into the delicacies!
4 Things Baking Can Teach Your Homeschooler – Conclusion
We've gone over life skills, four of them in fact, and even seven academic subjects that you can glean from when teaching your homeschooler to bake.
If you're ready to take that step and get your learners in the kitchen, then we've got the perfect companion for you!
FREE COOKING AND BAKING BOOK
You can get our FREE six-page cooking and baking book right now to help your student learn and record throughout their baking experiments.
The Cooking and Baking Book includes the following pages:
- Personalized Cover Page
- Recipe Card
- Shopping List
- Drawing Prompt
- Writing Prompt
- Memory Photo Placement
It's perfect for ages 4-10, just like Baketivity and will work as the perfect record book to completing the Baketivity monthly baking subscription recipes.
BAKETIVITY GIVEAWAY
Interested in trying out Baketivity with your family? You can enter right now for the chance to win one of two Baketivity Subscription Boxes!
What Baketivity Boxes is it?
One Cake Pops Box – valued at $39.95
With the Cake Pops kit, you get an all-in-one baking activity for your kids! It’s a complete experience- no need to find recipes, shop for exotic ingredients, or measure them. Just pop the ingredients into a bowl and voila! delicious cake pops.
One Hot Soft Pretzel Box – valued at $35.95
There’s nothing like the hot sun beating on while you relish a tasty hot pretzel. There’s no twisting arms with this kit- they’re absolutely delicious!
When does it end?
This offer ends on December 22nd, 2021.
a Rafflecopter giveawayBaketivity for Homeschoolers Review Conclusion
How fun would it be to look back and see how far your student has come in their journey around the kitchen, one kid-friendly recipe at a time?
If you're interested in purchasing Baketivity today, be sure that you use our exclusive coupon code Brooke20 to get 20% off of any subscription through December 31st, 2021!
