Happy Fall!

       Fall is in the air, and at our house, we love to bake pumpkin bread this time of year. The smell of the pumpkin and cinnamon baking, filling your house up with just simple goodness, is so comforting. Baking can be relaxing sometimes too, but then you add in your eager helper that wants to assist you in the baking process, like cracking the eggs and measuring the flour or cinnamon, and you just about want to pull your hair out. There is flour all over the floor, and you are tripping all over them as you get your next ingredient. Well, try to remain calm. Get to your happy place and just take this as a great teaching moment for your child (measuring, following directions in order, the science of cooking, etc.). Yes, it makes the baking process twice as long, but in the end, it is some great bonding and learning time, too. So even if you are simply cooking mac and cheese from the box, you can provide a teaching moment and have your child help you measure the water and just talk about the steps to getting to the finish product. It doesn’t have to be fancy. You can even get store bought cookie dough and have your child help you count the cookies you put them on the cookie sheet.  It is easy, fun and after you are done, you will not believe how proud your child will be that they got to help their Mommy or Daddy in the kitchen.  So special! 

       Things to Remember:  Cooking is one of the easiest activities for working on pre-academic skills (even if it's not from scratch...)