Hello my Omschooligans! Today in the Omschool Tree Fort, Teacher Omi "stirring up" some yummy hands-on kids cooking lesson plans! Here's a menu of Montessori style food-based activities, games, homemade snack crafts, recipes for children and book connections.
Before doing ANY cooking or food exploration with children, it is essential to be fully aware of any food allergies or dietary restrictions they may have and strictly avoid those ingredients.
Common & Major Allergens to Monitor Include:
- Peanuts & Tree Nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, etc.)
- Milk & Dairy Products (butter, yogurt, cheese, cream)
- Eggs
- Wheat & Gluten
- Soy
- Fish & Shellfish (crustaceans and mollusks)
- Sesame (seeds, tahini, oils)
- Fresh Fruits & Seeds: Kiwi, tomatoes, coconut, strawberries, citrus, and mustard
Equipment for kids cooking lesson plans
- child-safe plastic knives
- cutting board
- peelers and choppers
- kitchen scissors
- oven mitt
- apron
- recipe book
- mild dish soap like Mrs. Meyers
- scraper
- spatula
- grater
- veggie spiralizer
- measuring cups and spoons
- timer
- whisk
- rolling pin
- dish cloth and dish towel
- cookie cutters
- baking sheets
- step stool
- pots and pans
- can opener
- kitchen scale (balance or digital)
Kid-friendly Kitchen accommodations and work arounds
Toaster Oven
🐷 Kids' Kitchen: Pigs in a Blanket 🐷
Fun & Simple Toaster Oven Snack
🛒 Ingredients
- 1 can refrigerated biscuits
- 1 pack nitrate-free beef hot dogs or cocktail wieners
- 1 whole carrot (peeled into curls for piggy tails)
- For eyes: Small black olive slices or yellow mustard
🛠️ Kid-Friendly Tools Needed
Child-safe plastic knife or kitchen scissors, vegetable peeler, cutting board, and a baking sheet.
👩🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep the Oven: Preheat your toaster oven (or conventional oven) to 375°F (190°C). Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut & Roll: Flatten each biscuit and use a child-safe knife or kitchen scissors to cut them into triangles or strips.
- Wrap the Pigs: Roll a biscuit strip around each hot dog or cocktail wiener, leaving a little section exposed at the front for the face.
- Bake: Place on the baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the dough is light golden brown. Let cool slightly.
- Add Details: Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin carrot curls and tuck them into the back as cute pig tails! Dot on eyes with squeeze mustard or use olive slices. Cut a hot dog slice into triangles, for ears.
Electric frying pan
🐶 Puppy Power Protein Pancakes 🐶
Fun, Healthy & Naturally Protein-Packed Breakfast
🛒 Batter Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt for extra protein)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour or protein pancake mix (see Gluten-Free options below)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey (optional, for slight sweetness)
- Ghee or coconut oil for the griddle
🌾 Gluten-Free Options
- Oat Flour: Blend gluten-free certified rolled oats into a fine flour. Adds a lovely warm flavor!
- 1-to-1 GF Baking Flour: Swap in equal amounts of a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend.
- Almond Flour Blend: Use 1/2 cup almond flour + 1 extra egg for extra fluff and protein.
👩🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
- Mix the Whiskables: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, plain yogurt, vanilla extract, and optional maple syrup until smooth.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Stir in the flour, ground cinnamon, and baking powder until just combined. Let the batter rest for 2–3 minutes.
- Cook: Heat an electric skillet or non-stick pan over medium-low heat and grease lightly with butter or oil. Pour batter to form 1 large circle (the head) and 2 smaller mini circles (for floppy ears or snouts!).
- Flip: Cook until tiny bubbles form on top (about 2–3 minutes), then flip gently and cook another 1–2 minutes until golden brown.
🎨 Cute Puppy Face Decorating Ideas!
- Floppy Ears: Place two mini pancakes or sliced banana halves/strawberry slices at the top sides of the main pancake face.
- Snout & Nose: Place a round slice of banana in the center, topped with a single blueberry or chocolate chip for the nose.
- Puppy Eyes: Use two blueberry "eyes" or two banana slices with raisin centers.
- Whiskers & Mouth: Pipe a quick "W" shape under the nose using a bit of peanut butter or Greek yogurt!
- Playful Tongue: Tuck a thin slice of strawberry peeking out under the banana snout!
Crock Pot or Slow Cooker
- I recommend making our famous Friendship Sharing Soup (based on the book Stone Soup. Visit these sites for recipes, activities, games and crafts from Stone Soup.
🍲 Friendship Stone Soup
A "Sharing Soup" Classroom & Family Activity
🪨 The Secret Base
1 Large, Smooth River Stone (Scrubbed very clean and boiled in water beforehand!)
🛒 Child Contributions & Prep Roles: Use this as a color and counting game from one to ten!
- Red 1 cores and chops one red pepper
- Brown 2: cube 2# meat (chicken, beef or pork) or if vegetarian soup preferred, slice two loaves of crusty French bread
- Light green 3: 3 ribs of celery cleaned, peeled and sliced.
- Orange 4: cleans and slices 4 carrots into round "coins" with a child-safe knife)
- Yellow 5: 5 medium yellow potatoes (scrubbed, peeled, and diced)
- Green 6: Clean and pluck blossoms from stem of one spring each of basil, sage, thyme, rosemary, cilantro and parsley )6 ounces or 6 chopped scallions.
- White 7: peel and mince or press 7 garlic cloves (not bulbs)
- Purple 8: peel and mince or dice 8 ounces of purple (red) onion
- Brown 9 : chop 9 ounces of blue (purple) cabbage.
- Rainbow 10: Provides any colored bowls and plates to enjoy Sharing Soup!
- For classes with more than 10 children, additional add-ins might include: turnips, rutabaga, fresh shucked corn, shelled peas, snipped green beans, a can of beans, broccoli or cauliflower florets, green cabbage, yellow or orange peppers. You can also substitute any of these for the original ingredients, as needed.
- This can also be made with canned or frozen ingredients as needed.
👩🍳 Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
- Drop the Magic Stone: Place the clean stone in the bottom of a large slow cooker or heavy soup pot. Pour in the broth and set to HIGH (or bring to a boil on stove).
- Add the Aromatics: Stir in the onions and garlic, letting them simmer until the broth smells fragrant. Add half the fresh herbs.
- Add Root Vegetables: Add the potato cubes, carrot coins, diced pepper and chopped celery. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes as the flavors build.
- Add the Final Goodness: Stir in shredded cabbage Lower heat, cover, and let simmer for another 25–30 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
- For a creamy variation (optional) Remove from heat and slowly drizzle in one to two cups fresh cream or whole milk to make a creamy soup.
- Season & Share: Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with remainder of fresh herbs. Remove the magic stone carefully, ladle into bowls, and enjoy the delicious feast created by everyone working together!
Games with Food
- What vegetable am I?: Put different whole vegetables in paper bags and number each bag. Give one to each student. Students should wash hands first. Without looking, children explore fruits by touch, feel and smell. Provide students with a word and picture list of vegetables which they match with bag numbers. Then bags are passed to the next person.
- Fruitsploration: Give each student a bag with various fruits in it. Students write down or share observations about their fruits. Encourage students to explore fruits by taste, touch, smell and sight. Some suggested fruits include to include in individual bags:
- blueberries
- blackberries
- grapes
- tangerine
- peach
- kiwi if not allergies
- smooth/bumpy
- fuzzy/ smooth
- seedy
- squishy/firm
- sour/sweet/tart
- creative color words
- Class taste test: (Explore larger fruits as a class by discussing, then cutting into individual pieces)
- starfruit
- mango
- banana
- coconut
- pomelo
- dragonfruit
- pineapple
- ugli fruit (Jamaican tangelo)
- grapefruit
- hand of Buddha
- donut peaches
Collect various apple varieties and allow students to smell and sample them. Be sure to include color varieties.
- yellow delicious
- granny smith
- honey crisp
- gala
- Fuji
- Macintosh
- Ida Red
- Cosmic Crisp
Apple Donut Rings: Core a whole apple horizontally into thin rings. Have children spread a layer of cream cheese, Greek yogurt, or sunflower seed butter on top, then decorate with sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or crushed granola to make healthy "donuts."
Apple Toothpick Monsters: Cut apples into wedges. Give kids child-safe plastic knives or pre-cut pieces along with wooden toothpicks, grape halves, and marshmallow bits. Children can stack and connect the pieces to build funny multi-eyed apple creatures.
Apple Turtle Slices: Lay a half-apple flat-side down on a plate to serve as the turtle shell. Use a green grape cut in half for the head, four whole grapes for legs, and two mini chocolate chips (or dots of yogurt) for eyes.
Apple Sandwich Monsters: Spread peanut butter or seed butter between two apple slices. Insert tiny marshmallow "teeth" around the front edge and tuck a strawberry slice inside to look like a sticking-out tongue.
Apple Star Stamps & Bites: Cut apples horizontally through the middle to reveal the natural 5-point seed star pattern in the center. Kids can examine the natural star design before topping their slice with a drizzle of honey and a dash of cinnamon.
🍎 Edible Apple Star Stamps & Bites
A Hands-On Montessori Food & Craft Activity
⚠️ Safety First
Always check for fruit or food dye allergies before starting. Ensure adult supervision when cutting the fruit.
🛒 Ingredients & Supplies
- Apples: 2–3 large apples (cut horizontally across the middle to reveal the natural 5-point star)
- Edible Paint: Liquid food coloring mixed into plain Greek yogurt, white frosting, or honey
- Stamping Surface: Rice paper sheets, tortillas, or bread slices (for edible stamping) or white paper/paper plates
- Tools: Paper towels, small paintbrushes or shallow dipping plates, and child-safe knives
- Toppings (Optional): Cinnamon, honey, or sprinkles for snack time
👩🍳 Craft & Cooking Instructions
- Discover the Star: Slice each apple horizontally through the center. Show children the natural seed star pattern inside!
- Dry the Surface: Press the exposed side of each apple slice firmly onto a paper towel to absorb excess juice so the edible dye sticks easily.
- Prep the Edible Dye: In shallow bowls, mix a few drops of food coloring into yogurt or frosting to create vibrant, safe "paints."
- Stamp Away: Have children brush or dip the apple star side into the edible dye and stamp onto tortillas, bread, or paper plates to make colorful star designs.
- Snack Time: Once the stamping activity is complete, rinse or trim the slices, drizzle with a bit of honey and cinnamon, and enjoy as a delicious star snack!
From the Omschool Tree Fort Library Corner
Real Cookbooks & Culinary Guides for Children
America's Test Kitchen Kids. (2018).
The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs . Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.Notes: Features kid-tested recipes, kitchen safety tips, step-by-step photography, and explanations of the science of cooking for ages 8–12.
Katzen, Mollie, & Henderson, Ann. (1994).
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up . Tricycle Press.Notes: Designed specifically for early childhood and Montessori-style learning. Features visual step-by-step picture recipes alongside adult prep instructions.
Katzen, Mollie. (1999).
Honest Pretzels: And 64 Other Amazing Recipes for Kids Who Love to Cook . Tricycle Press.Notes: Aimed at independent young chefs (ages 8+), providing hand-drawn illustrations and clear safety guidelines.
Latham, Jennifer. (2022).
Baking Bread with Kids: Trusty Recipes for Magical Homemade Bread . Ten Speed Press.Notes: Focuses on tactile baking activities, dough preparation, and basic yeast/sourdough concepts.
Rockwell, Lizzy. (1999).
Good Enough to Eat: A Kid's Guide to Food and Nutrition . HarperCollins.Notes: Combines simple recipes with an accessible introduction to nutrients, digestion, and balanced eating for elementary readers.
Picture Books & Cultural Stories About Food
Brown, Marcia. (1947).
Stone Soup . Aladdin Paperbacks.Notes: The classic folkloric tale demonstrating community collaboration, sharing, and making a meal together.
Carle, Eric. (1970).
Pancakes, Pancakes! . Aladdin Paperbacks.Notes: Traces the farm-to-table process of gathering eggs, milking cows, and milling wheat to make breakfast from scratch.
dePaola, Tomie. (1975).
Strega Nona . Simon & Schuster.Notes: A whimsical story about a magic pasta pot that teaches lessons about listening, following instructions, and food preparation.
Ehlert, Lois. (1989).
Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z . Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.Notes: Introduces young children to a wide variety of produce through bold illustrations, supporting vocabulary and produce identification.
Ehlert, Lois. (1987).
Growing Vegetable Soup . Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.Notes: Details the steps of planting seeds, tending a garden, harvesting vegetables, and boiling them into a family soup.
Gilmore, Dorina Lazo. (2009).
Cora Cooks Pancit . Shen's Books.Notes: Highlights a child taking on kitchen responsibilities while learning to cook a traditional Filipino noodle dish with her family.
Hoban, Russell. (1964).
Bread and Jam for Frances . Harper & Row.Notes: A story addressing picky eating habits, food variety, and trying new dishes.
Lin, Grace. (2023).
Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods . Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.Notes: Combines storytelling, food folklore, and culinary history, suited for older elementary readers.
Maillard, Kevin Noble. (2019).
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story . Roaring Brook Press.Notes: Explores food, culture, and family sensory experiences, including a recipe and historical notes.
Park, Linda Sue. (2005).
Bee-Bim Bop! . Clarion Books.Notes: Written in rhythmic verse, depicting a child helping her mother shop, chop ingredients, cook, and set the table for a traditional Korean dish.
Soto, Gary. (1993).
Too Many Tamales . Putnam Juvenile.Notes: Center stage on family holiday cooking traditions and teamwork in the kitchen.
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