Mixing Stirring Adventures

"Mum, I do mixing stirring?" is a phrase a hear quite often at the moment. My little man is turning into quite the chef. He doesn't mind whether he is cooking with sand and water, with real ingredients to experiment, or making something that he can actually cook. As long as he has a bowl, a spoon, some measuring cups and something to mix up, he is a happy camper.

So I thought I would share just a few of our Mixing Stirring Adventure ideas with you today, and a few pointers on how to make these pockets of play, great teaching moments!

* Sand/Dirt and Water (a great place to start for mixing adventures - go to the beach if you don't have a sand pit or dig a hole in your back yard.)

* Colour Mixing (Whether you use different coloured water or paints)

* Experimental Cooking (Give your child lots of different ingredients from around the kitchen and let them go for GOLD! Good ingredients for interesting changes are, baking soda, vinegar, flour, corn flour, coco, food colouring... obviously this should be supervised at all times, and don't just give them the whole box, give them quantities you are happy for them to use. Sometimes you may choose to just give them two or three of these ingredients to explore at a time.)

* Real Cooking (Let your child help you cook the dinner or bake some special treats.)

* Give your child proper cooking utensils (this will really make them feel like they are cooking! NOTE: The oven was not on in this photo)

* Talk to them about what they are making (Ask them questions like "What does it smell like?" "How long will it take to cook?" "What does it taste like?" "Who are you cooking for today?" These questions will help develop and articulate their play.)

These activities are golden for teaching moments around:

* Chemical Change (what happens when different ingredients mix together)

* Volume and Measurement (as they mix in the different amounts of ingredients)

* Imaginative Play (as they use pretend ingredients or set up a restaurant etc.)

Sometimes you have to step back and let the kitchen get a little messier than usual, just make sure they help you clean up as part of the activity. I have loved sitting back and watching my little boy explore the many different ingredients and seeing his imagination come alive as he prepares his culinary surprises for his family, friends and toys! "Ok mum, I make a cookie for you! Oh Yummy." "Ok Rocket, here's your rocket soup!" (Thats Rocket from Little Einsteins.)  The possibilities are endless!

Do you and your child/ren have a favourite "Mixing, Stirring" activity you like to do together?