Cooking with Kids and Learning the Alphabet Too!
Published on: March 21, 2026
Cooking with kids has great rewards! You can teach the sounds of the alphabet while learning about math and kitchen science. Rap or sing the little song after each recipe. Let's cook and learn our ABCs!
Each recipe in this A-to-Z collection pairs a fun, kid-friendly recipe with a letter sound. Children practice practical life skills — measuring, pouring, stirring, cutting, spreading — while reinforcing phonics in the most delicious way possible.
Recommended Materials
Here are some tools that make cooking with young children safer and more enjoyable:
- Kids Cooking Set with Real Utensils — A complete Montessori-style cooking set with child-sized tools, apron, measuring cups, and storage box. Everything a young chef needs to participate meaningfully in the kitchen. View on Amazon
- Tovla Jr. Kids Cooking Knives — Child-safe knives designed for real cooking (not toys). BPA-free, dishwasher safe, and sized for small hands. Perfect for the cutting and chopping activities throughout these recipes. View on Amazon
Letter A — Apple & Ant Recipes
Applesauce Surprise
Cut and peel some apples. Cook them for 40 minutes or until tender. Cool the apples. Take turns mashing the apples into applesauce. Add a little honey. Put the applesauce in a cup, add crushed cookies or raisins. Eat and enjoy.
a-a-a the apple sound, A makes an apple sound!
Ants on a Log
Spread peanut butter on short stalks of celery. Add raisins (Ants). Add some apple juice and you have a great snack.
a-a-a the ant sound, A makes an ant sound!
Letter B — Banana Recipes
Banana Kabobs
With long skewers or toothpicks make a fun fruit kabob with thick, sliced bananas, pineapple chunks, grapes, marshmallows, and any other favorite fruit. Brush with orange juice to keep the bananas from turning brown and enjoy. This is a great activity for practical life skills. Even a young toddler can thread the fruit and "paint" with a brush the orange juice on the finished products. Let your older child peel and cut the bananas with a safe plastic knife. Slowly demonstrate how to peel and cut a banana.
b-b-b the banana sound, B makes a banana sound!
Frozen Banana Ice
This is an easy to make "ice cream" type dessert. You can either use bananas that are already frozen — just pop ripe bananas into the freezer to use later for cooking. Defrost the bananas until you can easily peel them. Let your child cut the bananas into small pieces with a spreading or butter knife.
Or you can use unfrozen ripe bananas by peeling, cutting them, wrapping in plastic wrap — just pop them in the freezer for 2 hours. Again your child can peel and dice the bananas.
Put the frozen bananas in either a blender, juicer or food processor. You can add other flavors to this frozen banana ice. My favorite is to blend in chocolate syrup or chips. Also, orange slices or strawberries are a yummy addition.
Letter C — Cloud & Caterpillar Recipes
Cloud Surprise
You'll need whipped topping, instant pudding and milk. You can use prepared pudding or have your child shake up his or her pudding in a small jar. Combine the milk and pudding and mix well with a whisk. Take the mixture and divide into small jars, cover tightly with the lids. Let your children shake the pudding until thick. Let each child continue by scooping in the whipped topping in a clear bowl or cup — enough to cover the bottom of the container. Spoon in the shaken pudding, then cover with whipped topping. Have fun eating your cloud.
Caterpillar Bread
This is a quick and fun recipe when you use frozen bread dough.
You'll need: Bread dough, licorice whips, jelly beans, chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, sugar and candy sprinkles.
Divide the bread into 3 or 4 sections, depending how many children are doing this activity. Have each child roll out the dough into a long caterpillar cylinder about 10 or 12 inches long. Using a plastic serrated knife, have the children cut the caterpillar into 4 or 5 sections. Place the sectioned caterpillar in an interesting design (head up, curved around, etc.) on a greased cookie sheet. Decorate the eyes with raisins; use licorice whips for antennae and legs. You can use the jelly beans and other nuts and candies to make your creation look unique. Caterpillars are wild looking in nature so have fun.
Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until done. (Your bread is done when you lightly thump it with your finger and it makes a hollow sound.)
c-c-c the caterpillar sound, C makes a caterpillar sound!
Letter D — Dinosaur & Doughnut Recipes
Dinosaurs — Art You Can Eat
Your child can make a dinosaur, a self portrait, or just an abstract!
You'll need: A full graham cracker rectangle or a flat bread, various dried cereal, chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, candy sprinkles, and honey.
Use the honey as paste. Let your child spread the honey with a pastry brush or a plastic knife and then cover the cracker with the edible collage pieces. Let your child tell you about his or her creation.
d-d-d the dinosaur sound, D makes a dinosaur sound!
Doughnut Delight
You'll need: Toppings (sprinkles, nuts, raisins, coconut etc.), frosting, and plain cake donuts.
Give each child a doughnut, a plastic knife, a dollop of frosting, and some toppings. Let each child frost the doughnut and decorate.
d-d-d the doughnut sound, D makes a doughnut sound!
Letter E — Egg Recipes
Egg Cream Drinks
This old fashioned drink is fun to make and drink.
You will need: ½ cup chilled whole milk or soy milk (you can use flavored milk such as chocolate milk or vanilla soy milk), your own flavor such as ¼ cup chocolate syrup, vanilla flavoring, or fruit juice, and chilled club soda or seltzer.
Pour milk into a 16-ounce glass and place spoon in glass. Pour seltzer into glass to reach ½ inch below rim. (A snow-white foam will develop.) Pour syrup into center of white foam, then stir in syrup and remove spoon through center of foam.
Egg Wash Painted Cookies
These are easy and fun to make. You can make cut out sugar cookies using your favorite recipe or buy the cut and bake dough from the grocery store.
You will need: Food coloring, white corn syrup, water (if you need to thin out the egg wash paint), small pastry brushes or clean paint brushes, and baked sugar cookies.
In small cups put in a teaspoon of corn syrup, add a few drops of food coloring. Paint your baked cookies. Bake again for 5 minutes at 350°F. Delicious!
e-e-e the egg sound, E makes an egg sound!
Letter F — Fruit & Fizzy Recipes
Fruit Dip
Ingredients: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (softened at room temperature), ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon almond extract, food coloring.
In mixing bowl let your child stir with a wooden spoon the cream cheese. Gradually add brown sugar and almond. Mix well, until all of the brown sugar has been blended into the cream cheese. If the mixture is too thick for your taste, add a small amount of almond extract. Add a little food coloring as an added treat.
You and your child can wash different types of pears, apples or any hard fruit. Wash and dry. Cut up into dipping size pieces and enjoy.
f-f-f the fruit sound, F makes a fruit sound!
Fizzy Fruit Cooler
Mix together club soda or sparkling water with juice. Have your child pour a glass ⅓ full with juice. Then pour in the sparkling water slowly till the glass is ⅔ full.
Try apple juice, pineapple juice, orange juice, grape juice — anything juicy and good.
Talk About This: What shape are the bubbles? (Circles!) What makes the bubbles? (Carbon dioxide!)
f-f-f the fizzy sound, F makes a fizzy sound!
Letter G — Granola Recipes
Good Granola Bars
These are great tasting.
You will need: 2 cups oatmeal, 1½ cups flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 2 eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, ¾ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup honey (or maple/rice syrup or white sugar), vanilla, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup flaked coconut or nuts, 1 cup raisins or chocolate chips.
Add eggs and oil to a large bowl and mix with a whisk. (Show your child how to gently crack the middle of egg, press thumbs together, and empty contents into mixing bowl.) Add sugar, honey, and vanilla and mix with a spoon. Take turns stirring with your child — count how many times you stir!
Sift the flour, soda, and salt onto waxed paper. Add dry ingredients to mixture and stir. Add oatmeal, then nuts and raisins or chocolate chips. Stir some more!
Spread into a bar or cake pan that has been oiled with a brush by your child. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 35 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.
Party variation — Granola Pops: Place about one teaspoon of dough on cookie sheet, insert a stick into the middle of the dough. Bake 12 minutes at 375°F.
Granola Crunch
You will need: 1 cup oatmeal, 2 tablespoons wheat germ or sesame seeds, ¼ cup nuts or coconut, ¼ cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds, 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract.
Mix together all the dry ingredients. Add honey, oil, extract, and mix well. You and your child can use your clean hands to mix gently. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake at 325°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it — it's all right to stir it once or twice while it bakes. Cool on waxed paper or paper towels.
Try this: Taste each food before you mix the granola together. How does the raw, plain oatmeal taste before you bake it? How does the granola crunch taste after you bake it? What part of the mixture makes the granola stick together? (The sugar melts and glues the granola crunch together.)
g-g-g the good sound, G makes a good sound!
Letter H — Hot Dog & Happy Face Recipes
Hot Dog Zap
You'll need: Hot dogs (vegetarian, chicken, turkey or beef), hot dog rolls (whole wheat ones work great!), paper napkins or paper towels, microwave.
Show your child how to put the hot dog in the roll, unfold the napkin and arrange in diamond shape, from one corner, roll the hot dog to the end, fold over the flaps. Place hot dog in microwave for about 30 seconds or follow manufacturer's directions. Let it rest for a minute to make sure the hot dog is not too hot. Put on your favorite toppings.
h-h-h the hot sound, H makes a hot sound!
Happy Face Sandwich
You'll need: Whole grain bread, nut butter, apples, raisins, maple syrup or honey, toaster oven.
You and your child can wash and slice the apple into ½ inch slices. Your child can spread his or her favorite nut butter (peanut, almond, hazelnut) on a piece of bread. Add raisins for eyes and nose and apple slices for smile and even eyebrows. Drizzle with a teaspoon of maple syrup. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Eat with favorite veggies.
h-h-h the happy sound, H makes a happy sound!
Letter I — Ice Cream & Igloo Recipes
Ice Cream in a Bag
You'll need: Large zip lock bag, small zip lock bag, cream or milk, sugar or your favorite sweet flavoring, ice, table salt.
In a sandwich bag (zip shut) put in ½ cup cold cream, milk or soy milk. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, maple syrup, chocolate syrup or honey. Close securely. In a large zip shut bag, put in ice till ¾ full. Add ⅓ cup of any type of salt. Place the small bag with milk in the middle of the large bag. Secure and shake back and forth until the small bag gets firm. Cut the bottom of the small bag and squeeze out your homemade ice cream.
Variation: You can add any goodie — nuts, fruit, jelly beans, peanut butter and jelly, crushed cookies or chocolate chips.
Igloo Ice Cubes
You will need: Ice cube tray, your favorite juice.
Put the juice in a small pitcher and let your child fill up each section. Freeze and put in your drinks for flavor.
i-i-i the ice sound, I makes an ice sound!
Letter J — Jam & Jelly Recipes
Jiffy Jam
This is my Grandmother's (Mormor) raw jam recipe. The jam tastes fresh and fruity. If you can pick your own berries, it will even taste better!
You will need: Blueberries or your favorite ripe small berry, powdered sugar, bowl, masher, spoon.
Use about 1 cup of clean blueberries and about 1 cup of powdered sugar. Pour the berries into a bowl. Mash the berries. (This releases the pectin in the fruit.) Stir in powdered sugar. Blend until the jam is firm. Spread on your morning toast.
j-j-j the jam sound, J makes a jiffy jam sound!
Jelly Biscuits
You'll need: Biscuit dough (you can buy biscuits in a tube in the refrigerator section), jelly or jam, teaspoon, oven, baking pan.
Have your child place the biscuits on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Next, make an indentation in each biscuit with your thumb, drop in a teaspoon of jelly. Bake according to directions. These are great with afternoon tea or breakfast.
j-j-j the jelly sound, J makes a jelly sound!
Letter K — Kabob & Kiwi Recipes
Kabobs on the Grill
These are easy to make and fun to eat. This is a great way to introduce different vegetables to your child's diet.
You can pick from these fruits and vegetables: Pineapple chunks, mandarin orange slices, green or red pepper, green onions, zucchini, yellow squash, cherry or small tomatoes, mushrooms.
Sauce: 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons orange juice.
Wash and cut the selected vegetables with your child. Let your child thread the veggies and fruit on the skewer. You can even put the items in a sequence — pineapple, zucchini, mandarin orange, onion, tomato, pepper — and repeat the pattern until the skewer is full.
Brush with sauce and grill or broil for 5 minutes, turn and cook 5 more minutes.
k-k-k the kabob sound, K makes a kabob sound!
Kiwi Cakes
You will need: Kiwi fruit, sponge cakes or lady fingers, 1 cup heavy whipping cream or Soy Whip, bowl, egg beater, knife and/or peeler, 2 teaspoons sugar.
Your child can measure one cup of whipping cream to pour into a cold bowl. If you have an old fashioned egg beater your child can beat the whipping cream until it makes soft peaks, add the 2 teaspoons of sugar and beat one more time. You can take turns doing this! If you don't have an egg beater, a whisk will work.
Peel the kiwi with a knife or peeler. Slice and place a few pieces on the cake, add cream, then add another layer of cream topped with a slice of kiwi. This is really good!
k-k-k the kiwi sound, K makes a kiwi sound!
Letter L — Letter Crackers & Little Loaves
Letter Crackers
These crackers are from a Norwegian recipe for oatmeal crackers.
You will need: ½ cup oatmeal, ¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or whole wheat plus 2 teaspoons corn starch), ¼ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup yogurt, honey, salt, soda, water.
- Grind ½ cup of oatmeal in the blender.
- In a bowl stir with a fork the flour and oatmeal with ¼ cup of oil. Add 1 tablespoon honey and ¼ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Add ¼ cup yogurt and 2 to 4 tablespoons water. Mix gently with hands (oil them first so the dough doesn't stick).
- Roll out the dough very thin — about ⅛ of an inch.
- Cut with cookie cutters or make your own letters with a butter knife.
- Bake at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes.
Try this: Have your child taste the oatmeal before you grind it. Taste some after you grind it into oat flour. How does it taste different? Do they have different textures? Where does honey come from? What is yogurt made out of?
Little Loaves of Bread
This works great in a bread machine.
You'll need: 1 package yeast, 1½ cups water, 2 tablespoons powdered milk, 2 tablespoons sugar or honey, ¼ cup potato flakes, 1 egg, ½ stick butter, 2½ cups bread flour, ¾ teaspoon salt.
Your child can sift the flour into a large shallow bowl. Blend together the wet ingredients and egg in a large bowl. Add yeast, powdered milk, sugar, potato flakes, butter, and gradually add flour, adding salt after about a cup of flour.
Flour your work area, break the bread dough into small enough pieces so your child can work the dough easily. Show your child slowly how to knead — push and fold the dough, turn it, and push and fold and turn again. Do this for several minutes.
Roll your dough into a fat cylinder shape. Place in a pan that your child has brushed with oil. Let it rise for about 45 minutes in a warm place. Bake at 375°F for about 25 to 30 minutes.
These small loaves are easy for your child to slice. You can make a practical life center for cutting and buttering bread — provide a cutting board, a safe serrated knife, plates, butter and butter knife.
l-l-l the little sound, L makes a little sound!
Letter M — Marshmallow & Mouse Recipes
Marshmallow S'mores
This is great indoors or by a campfire!
You will need: 2 graham cracker halves (any flavor), 1 square of chocolate candy, 1 marshmallow (or 4 miniatures, or marshmallow cream), peanut butter, paper towel.
- On one graham cracker put the chocolate square and marshmallow.
- Put on paper towel.
- Microwave for 10 to 15 seconds — chocolate will melt and marshmallow will expand.
- On the other half, spread peanut butter or any nut butter (it tastes great!).
- Let it stand for a few minutes (don't want to burn your mouth) and eat.
m-m-m the marshmallow sound, M makes a marshmallow sound! Mmmmm good!
Mousers
You will need: Mild cheddar cheese, cheese grater, bowl, butter, flour, dry cereal (toasted), cookie sheet.
Have your child grate about ⅓ cup of cheese. Put in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup toasted dry cereal. Stir, grease your hands and form into balls. Put balls on a cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
Talk about it: How did the cheese change after you baked the mousers?
m-m-m the mouse sound, M makes a mouse sound!
Letter N — No-Bake & Nut Recipes
No Bake Cookies
These are great because you don't bake them — use your hands!
You will need: 7 to 8 ounces plain cookies or graham crackers, ¾ cup coconut flakes, ½ to ¾ cup powdered sugar, ½ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, rolling pin, zip lock bag.
Put half the cookies in a zip lock bag. Let your child crush them with the rolling pin — rolling the pin back and forth develops eye-to-hand coordination. Add coconut, sugar and orange juice concentrate. Mix well and form into balls.
Try this: What would happen if you didn't crush the cookies? Would they mix together very well with the other food?
n-n-n the no sound, N makes a no sound!
Nut Butter
You can make any nut butter from your favorite nuts — peanuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, or pistachios.
You'll need: Blender or food processor, 1 cup roasted nuts, 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons honey.
Measure and place in blender or food processor. Blend at medium high, turn off occasionally to scrape the sides. You can make the butter chunky or smooth. Refrigerate if you don't eat it within a week.
Your child can spread this on apple or pear pieces, celery, carrots, and just plain bread.
n-n-n the nutty sound, N makes a nutty sound!
Letter O — Ocean & Octopus Recipes
Ocean Drink
You will need: Club soda or unflavored bubbly water, grape juice (or any ocean colored juice), a clear tall glass and drinking straw.
Put ¼ cup of grape juice in a small pitcher or liquid measuring cup. Let your child pour the juice into the glass. Slowly pour in the soda water and watch the drink turn a blue purple ocean color with air bubbles too. Sip from a straw and enjoy!
o-o-o the O sound, O makes an octopus sound!
Octopus Salad
You will need: A plate, a peach half, lettuce, raisin, almond, 8 carrot sticks.
Put the lettuce on the plate. Next place the peach half on the lettuce. Add the 8 carrot appendages. Add raisins for eyes and an almond for the beak. Eat and enjoy!
Letter P — Peanut Butter & Painted Toast
Peanut Butter Ball Cookies
You will need: ⅓ cup honey, ⅓ cup peanut butter, ⅓ cup non-fat dry milk, ¼ cup coconut, 1 tablespoon raisins, sesame seeds or chopped nuts or cookie crumbs.
Mix together the honey, peanut butter, dry milk, coconut, and raisins. Grease clean hands and form into balls. Roll into either sesame seeds, nuts, or cookie crumbs. Eat — you don't have to wait to bake these cookies.
Try this: Taste all the ingredients. Which one do you like the best? How does it taste?
p-p-p the peanut butter sound, P makes a peanut butter sound!
Painted Toast
This is a fun art and food activity — you just need milk paint and bread.
You will need: Sliced bread, milk, food coloring, toaster, 4 to 6 small pots or bowls, 4 to 6 clean small pastry brushes or paint brushes.
Put about 2 tablespoons of milk in each pot. Add a few drops of food coloring at a time. Stir and add more color until the milk paint is nice and bright. Make red, yellow, blue, green, orange (mix red and yellow), and purple (mix blue and red).
Let your child paint the bread — it can be dots, lines, circles, squares, a face, or abstract art. Toast and lightly butter. If you need something sweet on it, honey will glaze the masterpiece.
p-p-p the paint sound, P makes a paint sound!
Letter Q — Quick Breakfast & Queen of Tarts
q-q-q the quirky sound, Q makes a quirky sound! (Q always has her friend U follow him wherever he goes — together they make a blended sound.)
Quick Breakfast Bites
You will need: ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 cup finely crushed cereal, refrigerated biscuit dough.
Melt butter in a small bowl. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Take out the biscuits and separate. Show your child how to use scissors to cut the biscuits into small pieces.
Fractions lesson: Cut the first few in half, the next ones in fourths, sixths, and so on!
Put the wedges in the cinnamon sugar bowl and coat by gently stirring with hands. Drizzle the butter over the dough pieces. Crush cereal in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin — "Crush it, crush it, crush it into crumbly cereal chunks!" Add about a cup to the bowl of dough pieces. Stir slowly and gently to cover the bites.
Show your child how to place the dough bites on cookie sheets in rows without them touching. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes. Eat them warm with tea or juice.
Queen of Tarts
This is a simple jam tart.
You will need: Ready made crescent rolls (from the refrigeration section), your favorite jam, small tart pans or muffin tins.
Show your child how to gently press the dough in the tins. Place a spoonful of jam on top. Bake at 400°F about 6 to 9 minutes, or until light golden brown. These are very light and easy to eat!
Letter R — Rocky Road & Radish Roses
Rocky Road Snack
You will need: 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup nuts, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup pretzels, 1 cup cereal, 1 cup marshmallows.
Combine the ingredients in the bowl. Let your child gently stir the goodies together. Store in an airtight container. Let your child use a measuring cup to take out an individual serving. These are a great treat.
Radish Roses
You will need: Radishes, a bowl ⅔ full with cold water, a small serrated knife, cutting board, vegetable brush.
Wash and lightly scrub with a vegetable brush. Cut the tops and roots off the radish. Take one radish, trim off ⅛ of an inch at top. From the top of this cut edge, cut down ⅔ of the way down. Do this on the other three sides. Make more smaller cuts at the corners.
Place in cold water. After several hours the radish petals will start to pop out to make a rose. It's fun to do each radish differently!
r-r-r the running sound, R makes a running sound!
Letter S — Sprouts, Seaweed & Science
Sprout Jar
Sprouts — this is a great science experiment you can eat! These are great by themselves, on a sandwich, or in a salad.
You will need: Vegetable seeds (alfalfa, mung, radish, or broccoli), bowl, jar.
- Soak the seeds overnight in a bowl of water.
- Drain and rinse the next morning.
- Put in a clean jar.
- Place the jar in a warm place away from the sunlight.
- Look at the sprouts every day and notice how they change.
- In a few days you will have sprouts.
Activities: Use two different types of vegetable seeds and see which ones sprout the quickest. How do the sprouts taste different? Do the radish sprouts taste "hot" or "spicy"? Can you see the leaves or the roots on the sprouts?
Your child will love how quickly the seeds germinate so they can eat the sprouts. Montessori noted in The Discovery of the Child: "The work which pleases children most is not so much that of sowing seed as that of harvesting."
s-s-s the silly seed sound, S makes a silly seed sound!
Seaweed Soup
I use dried sea vegetables for soup and stir fry! My children love it. You can buy a package of sea vegetable or seaweed at an Asian market or many grocery stores in the Asian products aisle.
You will need: 3 cups broth, ½ ounce hair sea vegetable (soaked and rinsed), ¼ cup cut celery, ¼ cup cut carrot, 2 green onions chopped, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons sesame or olive oil, wok or large pan.
Stir fry the carrots, celery and sea vegetable in oil for a few minutes. Add broth and green onions and bring to boil. Add vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Add salt to taste. Serve with rice crackers.
s-s-s the seaweed sound, S makes a seaweed sound!
Letter T — Tea & Toast Recipes
Tangy Tea Mix
You will need: 1 large jar orange instant breakfast drink, ½ cup instant tea, 1½ cups sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves (optional).
Mix the dry ingredients well and place in a well-sealed jar or container. Pour hot water into a cup and add 1 to 2 teaspoons of tea. You can also serve this in a teapot.
Tasty Tea Sandwiches
You will need: Sandwich bread, cookie cutters, butter, spreadable sandwich filling (peanut butter and jelly, softened cream cheese and jelly, egg salad, tuna salad, vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes).
Cut shapes of bread with cookie cutters that match your theme (teddy bears, chicks, flowers, circles). Also, you can cut off the crust to make rectangles, squares, or triangles.
Butter lightly one side of the cut out bread shape — the butter keeps the bread from getting soggy from the moist filling. Spread the filling on the bread, top it, place on a tray or plate and cover each layer with plastic wrap. Refrigerate and it's ready to go for your party.
Time Saver Tip: Use wraps instead of bread for your sandwich fillings.
t-t-t the tangy tasty sound, T makes a tasty sound!
Letter U — Upside Down Cake & Unbirthday Party
Upside Down in the Dirt Cake
You will need: A package of chocolate cream filled (or mint) cookies (up to 20 ounces), 1 large tub whipped topping (half with green food coloring for "grass"), instant pudding (chocolate or vanilla), milk, gummy worms and bugs, jelly bean eggs.
Put the chocolate cream filled cookies in the freezer at least overnight — this makes them easier to crush. Blend the whole package into "dirt" using a blender, food processor, or have your kids crush them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.
Make the instant pudding and fold in half the tub of whipped topping. To make the cake upside down, put the green whipped topping (the "grass") on the bottom. Put a layer of cookie "dirt," then a layer of pudding and whipped cream mix. Place gummy bugs, worms, and eggs strategically in the pudding. Continue to layer, ending with dirt on top. Refrigerate for an hour or more.
Hints: Small plastic shovels are fun to use as spoons! Clean buckets make great containers. Take a picture of everyone's face after eating this messy delight.
Unbirthday Popcorn Cake
Sometimes winter holidays put a damper on your child's birthday party. A great way to have a fun kiddie party is to have an "unbirthday" party during the summer!
Ingredients: 4 quarts popped corn, 1 pound candy pieces (gum drops, jelly beans, etc.), 1 pound marshmallows, ½ pound nuts (optional), ½ cup butter, ½ cup vegetable oil.
In a pan melt together butter, oil, and marshmallows. Combine melted mixture with popcorn, candy and nuts. Mix well and press into a greased angel food pan or bundt cake pan. Remove when cool. This is a fun cake to make with your child.
u-u-u the upside down sound, U makes an upside down sound!
Letter V — Vietnamese Rice & Vegetable Pizza
Vietnamese Fried Rice
Kim showed me how to make this 30 years ago. It's a great way to use leftovers — perfect for lunch.
You will need: 1 cup cooked rice, vegetable oil, wok or frying pan, egg or tofu, leftover veggies.
Heat pan with oil and heat rice. Add leftovers and add one beaten egg or 2 tablespoons of seasoned tofu. Heat and eat.
Your child can beat the egg with a fork and half teaspoon of water in a small bowl. Look through your refrigerator and use leftovers — peas, grated carrot, green onions, pineapple, green pepper, cooked meat or shrimp.
Vegetable Pita Pizzas
You will need: 2 round pitas, vegetables of your choice (grated zucchini, carrots, or onions work great — kids who don't like veggies usually like this!), ¼ cup favorite sauce, ¼ cup cheese, olive oil.
Microwave pitas for a few seconds to make them soft. Let your child spread pizza sauce on pita. Sprinkle with grated veggies, halved cherry tomatoes and favorite fresh herbs like basil or oregano. Spread cheese and spray or lightly brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 425°F for 5 to 8 minutes or until desired crispness. Cut into triangles.
Try this: Talk about the round shape of the pita rounds. What shape are they when you cut them in half? (A half circle!) What shapes are they when you cut them in fourths? (Curved triangles!)
v-v-v the vegetable sound, V makes a vegetable sound!
Letter Z — Zebra & Zappy Recipes
Zebra Cookies
This really isn't a cookie, but it is good to eat!
You will need: A rice cake, peanut butter, a spreading knife, carob or chocolate chips.
Make stripes of peanut butter. Fill in with carob chips. Eat your zebra cookie with your favorite drink.
Try this: Why do zebras have stripes? (It helps them hide from lions because when they are in the big herd, the lion just sees stripes moving around and has trouble finding a single zebra.)
Zappy Snappy Cheese Wraps
You will need: Wraps (small flour tortillas or lefse), cream cheese, pepper jelly or favorite jelly, favorite fruit (kiwi fruit is always good with cream cheese) or dried fruit.
Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature for a few hours or stir until soft. With a spreading knife, let your child spread on soft cream cheese, then add jelly and put on a single layer of fruit. Roll and eat. You can use large tortillas and cover with cling wrap, chill for 2 hours, and slice into pinwheels.
z-z-z the zebra sound, Z makes a zappy sound!
What Children Learn
- Phonics: Each recipe reinforces a letter sound through the sing-along pattern
- Practical Life Skills: Measuring, pouring, stirring, cutting, spreading, peeling, grating
- Math: Fractions, counting, measuring, sequencing, patterns
- Science: Observing changes in food when heated, frozen, or mixed; growing sprouts; carbon dioxide in fizzy drinks
- Fine Motor Skills: Threading kabobs, rolling dough, using scissors, egg beating
- Vocabulary: Kitchen terms, ingredient names, texture words, descriptive language