In New Zealand right now, we are entering our 5th week of Lockdown due to COVID19. This means that the kids have been off school, kindy and daycare for over 4 weeks, and many parents are finding themselves homeschooling, as well as working from home during the day as well. I homeschool Ashton anyway, so that part is no different for us. However we are used to having free access to the library, museum and pools to fill our days, along with meet ups with friends and trips to beaches and parks! Not only have we had to adapt to life without these, but two mornings a week, Ashton and I usually spend some 1:1 time, while my 2 and 4 year olds go to daycare. Now the lot of us get to spend 24/7 together, while Chef Ashton Dad works extra hours, and unusual shifts, as an ‘essential worker’.
I’m hearing from lots of parents who are struggling with getting their kids motivated to complete set classroom work, being sent electronically by schools and teachers. I don’t blame the kids, some days I don’t feel motivated to do anything much after being stuck in house for over a month. I also don’t feel motivated to do a whole lot in the kitchen that might get destroyed by my little helpers, or forgotten about due to 486 demands that take place every minute they are awake.
Thankfully I have somewhat of a solution to both problems, a collection of recipes that are quick, easy and suitable for the kids to help with. I can confirm all these recipes have been tested for toddler, preschooler and snarky school kids approval, and functionality. They stand to still come out as intended, even with the messiest mixers and germiest fingers. It keeps them busy, and we are filling our fridge and cupboards with snacks and food. Which the demands for, seem to be never-ending! The other bonus is that as a trained teacher, I can wholeheartedly confirm that cooking, food prep and baking with the kids counts as science, maths, literacy and health education! There are so many valuable learning opportunities to have the kids help in the kitchen, so don’t feel bad if they are struggle with motivation for worksheets or projects, if you are busy spending time baking, playing board games and exploring the world (read house, and backyard haha) together.
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