Cookbook Classroom Projects

Teach children to use the index and table of contents.

Recipes teach children about reading comprehension, following directions and food preparation. Perhaps best of all, recipes lead to tasty treats. Cookbooks can be a useful classroom tool for children of any grade level, whether you're reading published books or creating your own. Visit the local library to find simple cookbooks with plenty of photos and illustrations, since these will appeal to children.

Following Directions

Use cookbooks to teach young children about following directions. Let children first look through cookbooks and explore how the instructions are laid out. Take one recipe from the book and make a copy for each child. Cut apart the recipes so each step is on a separate slip of paper, then have children put the steps back in order and glue them onto a new piece of paper. Set out pretend food and dishes so children can act out each step as they go to find the correct order.

What Can We Make?

Teach students about reading comprehension by bringing in a selection of cookbooks along with some basic ingredients. Pass out the cookbooks, then show students the ingredients. Challenge them to find recipes that you can make with only what you've laid out. For instance, if you bring in eggs, peppers, onions, butter and salt, a student might find an omelet recipe that you can make. Make a list of all the recipes that are possible, then vote on one and cook it together. Look through the cookbooks in advance to ensure that there are recipes matching your ingredients.

Family Cookbook

Have children make holiday gifts out of their own family's favorite recipes. Ask each child to find five to ten recipes at home that their family uses frequently. If they're making the book for one parent, they might ask the other parent to help them find the recipes. Have children rewrite each recipe in their own handwriting on a piece of white paper, then illustrate each recipe with drawings of their family. Laminate each page, punch holes in the side and tie the pages together with yarn or ribbon.

Make Our Own

Ask each student to choose one favorite food that he will contribute to an end-of-the-year class cookbook. Students can bring in a recipe from home, or find and copy recipes from cookbooks. Type out each recipe, then have each student decorate his page with drawings or explanations of why he chose that food. Write each student's name on his page, along with where he found the recipe. Attach a picture of the child's face. Send a copy of the book home with each student.

References

• Scholastic: A Classroom Cookbook
• PBS: What's Cooking?
• Real Simple: 4 Kid-Approved Cookbooks