Make some no-cook snacks for the classroom. Give each child a small piece of banana on a toothpick. Provide a topping station with bowls of yogurt, granola, chopped, dried fruit and crushed cereal. Children can take turns visiting the topping station and roll the banana in the yogurt of their choice. Add any additional toppings to the yogurt before freezing the banana to create a healthy banana Popsicle. Kindergartners will enjoy making 'hamburger' cookie snacks. Provide vanilla wafers for the 'bun,' frosting mixed with red and yellow food coloring -- the 'ketchup' and 'mustard' -- and green-colored shredded coconut for the 'lettuce.' Use thin mints to represent the burger patties, and assemble the hamburgers. Top the buns with sesame seeds to complete the look.
Introduce kitchen unit activities as part of a social studies theme, to teach kindergartners about the different cultures that make up the melting pot of America. Ask students to bring food from their culture to share with the class, or make a selection of recipes in the classroom. Make aguas frescas -- a traditional Mexican drink -- with fresh fruit, water and sugar. Chop seasonal fruit into cubes in advance, then let the children pick their own selection. Students can pick just one fruit or try a combination of two or three fruits to make the drink. Have the children place the fruit in a blender with a splash of water and a small amount of sugar. The teacher should operate the blender. More water or sugar can be added if needed.
Early readers can learn the process of cooking from a recipe by following a picture recipe. Provide children a step by step illustrated recipe or one that demonstrates each step with photos. For example, kindergartners can make snacking apple rings -- with apple pieces, peanut butter and toppings such as raisins, coconut or cereal -- from a photo recipe. The first photo depicts the ingredients. The second photo shows a knife spreading the peanut butter on the apple and the third photo demonstrates placing the toppings onto the peanut butter. The final picture reveals the finished product. Children can make a class recipe book as a gift or fundraiser. Have each child state their favorite recipe. Write down exactly what the children say, because it is the students' interpretations of the recipe that make the book so precious and amusing. Then, the students can illustrate their recipe. Laminate or scan the recipes to make a recipe book.
Kindergartners will enjoy making recipes they can later use for arts and crafts. Make craft dough by mixing 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt, 2 tsp. of cream of tartar and 1 tsp. of vegetable oil. Add a few drops of food coloring to 1 cup of warm water, then mix together all the ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over a low to medium heat, until the mix is firm and hard to stir. Allow the dough to cool before kneading. Alternatively, make a no-cook version by omitting the cream of tartar and vegetable oil, and only using 1/2 cup hot water. Mix and knead the ingredients to form a dough. Make glitter paint by mixing food coloring, white glue and glitter in a plastic bag. Seal the bag tightly and have the children squish it to mix the ingredients. Cut a corner of the bag and squeeze out the contents to paint. For a high sheen, gloss effect paint, mix tempera paints with dishwashing soap or mix condensed milk and food coloring for a bright, shiny paint.