Cooking with kids can be a lot of fun. It is magical to combine a bunch of ingredients that result in something you can eat. It can also be a science or a math lesson. It’s an opportunity to teach cleanliness and the importance of safety and health in the kitchen. All this takes planning and organization without losing a sense of enjoyment.
For a few years in the 2000s I taught a cooking class at Pajaro Middle School. The school had one of the few real Home Economics rooms left over from a time when teaching sewing and cooking were part of the educational curriculum. Room 9 had four full kitchens and a teaching kitchen at the front of the classroom. I had about 25 kids so planning and organizing was critical.
Age and development skills are important considerations. A few years after I retired, I worked in an after-school program where I taught cooking to mixed-age elementary kids from 4 to 11 years old. It was a smaller group but still took some planning. Fine motor skills like using measuring spoons would challenge some kids. I would divide them into groups with mixed ages so I didn’t have too many young ones in one group. Then I would assign tasks according to their abilities. For example, there might be a measuring group, a whisking group, a stirring group, etc. Hands-on activities are great ways to improve on and teach new skills.
Drop biscuits are a good recipe that are easy to make, taste good and are educational. Just about all ages can participate in the process guided by an adult, of course, since an oven and hot biscuits are involved.
For older kids, Drop Biscuits can also be an educational experience. A chemical reaction happens when the soda in baking powder combines with water or milk. Carbonic acid forms carbon dioxide bubbles that cause the dough to rise when heated in the oven. This recipe can also be made into a math problem by doubling the recipe. The best thing about learning by doing is that if you make an error, it is evident in the results.
Drop Biscuits
Cleanliness: The beginning is a good time to emphasize cleanliness. No one wants to eat dirty food. So, the first step is washing one’s hands. It can also be a good habit to put on an apron.
Instructions: Sit down at a table, make eye contact, and go over the following things:
Relate that you’re a going to make a mess but that mess has to be completely cleaned up afterwards.
Describe that in this recipe you are making Drop Biscuits. Drop Biscuits are a Quick Bread. That means they are made from a dry mixture and a wet mixture that are quickly combined and baked. Get out all the equipment and the ingredients.
Equipment
2 medium sized bowls, measuring spoons, liquid measuring cup, dry measuring cups, 2 whisks, wooden spoon, spatula, baking sheet.
Dry Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, or ½ cup whole wheat flour and 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 4 teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt.
Wet Ingredients
4 tablespoons cooking oil plus a little more for oiling the baking sheet; 1 cup water or milk; 2 teaspoon of lemon juice – optional.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet. In one medium bowl, measure and then whisk the following dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. In another smaller bowl, measure and whisk together the wet ingredients: the cooking oil, milk or water and lemon juice. Mix well.
When the oven is hot, quickly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon for about 15 seconds or so until most of the wet and dry are mixed into a dough. It is okay if there are a few floury lumps. Working as fast as possible, with a large spoon, drop the dough off the spoon with your finger onto the oiled baking sheet. This recipe will make about 8 medium sized biscuits. Put into the oven and bake 8 minutes. They are done when the tops and bottoms are slightly brown. Bake 3 minutes more if necessary. Makes about 8 medium biscuits. This is a bare bones recipe so have the butter and jam ready for when they are done.
By Sarah Ringler
