This month, the children in our Toddler 1 classroom at RisingOaks Early Learning | St. Patrick have been enjoying the winter weather and the festive season. Our classroom has been extra busy enjoying some festive experiences, including playing with snow both indoors and outdoors, making a snowman (who we affectionately named Foo), putting up a Christmas tree and making ornaments for it, making gifts for our families, and, probably most exciting of all, baking cookies!
In preparation for our Winter Social that we held, the Toddler 1 room welcomed a very special guest. Eria’s mom, Dorothy, joined us to help bake a batch of delicious cookies so we could share them with our families. Many of the children were excited to greet our visitor and eagerly invited her into our space, while a few were hesitant at first, as they adjusted to seeing a new face in the room.
We began our baking experience by taking all our ingredients out. Dorothy showed us the butter, cornstarch, icing sugar, and flour that we would be using to create our treats. Our first step was to beat the butter. Dorothy showed the children the butter and Hudson immediately grabbed a measuring cup, eager to help scoop it out. Before turning on the mixer, we asked the children whether they thought it would be loud or quiet.
“Loud!” Hudson predicted.
“What do you think it will sound like?” We asked.
“A bus!” he replied.
When we finally turned it on, the children discovered it was not loud at all – it made a gentle, low buzzing sound. Everyone gathered closely to watch the butter transform from a solid block into a soft, mushy mixture.
Next, we scooped out the flour. Hudson and Dino helped add the scoops to the bowl, showing great interest in taking part. When it came to add the cornstarch, Hudson carefully scooped it out – though a bit ended up on his sweater. “On my hand!” he observed with surprise. Dino was quick to help add the icing sugar to the bowl, while Cassidy watched with quiet curiosity.
With all the ingredients ready, it was finally time to mix the dough with our hands. Hudson, Andi, and Cassidy all stood around eager to participate, though they were initially a bit hesitant to touch the sticky dough. Once it was fully mixed, however, Hudson, Cassidy, and Hélène, enjoyed poking the soft dough and making “finger holes” as Hudson called them. With support from Rahiya, Hudson, and Andi, we rolled the dough into small balls and gently flattened them into cookies.
The children demonstrated wonderful cooperation, fine-motor engagement, and sensory exploration throughout the activity. We had such a fun time baking and we were so excited to have the opportunity to share our homemade treats with our families as we enjoyed a special time of connection – celebrating peace, joy, love, and family during this festive season.
