Cooking is a fantastic way to synthesize many skills and concepts. It promotes higher-level thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Since we want our children to function independently as they grow, what better way to develop and foster this than through cooking? Here are some of the benefits cooking provides students:

–Builds math skills (use measurement, fractions, numeric properties, sorting and classifying)

–Strengthens reading skills (teaches recipes and directions; promotes vocabulary development, use of ordinal words and oral expression)

–Creates opportunities for science exploration (use of senses, make predictions, note physical changes, identify foods)

–Promotes social studies and collaborative skills (fosters teamwork and collaboration, recreates family experiences and promotes cultural awareness)

In order to start cooking in your classroom, simply download our Classroom Cooking: Recipes & Functional Text Activities. This unit contains 17 tried and true recipes tied to CCSS; all are connected to literature, focus on holidays or seasons and have accompanying comprehension questions. A parent letter is included to explain unit and request donations.  Bon Appetit!