Farm Unit Cooking Activities for Children

Children can make their own butter by churning heavy cream.

Children love learning about farms, and they love helping in the kitchen. Cooking activities can be incorporated into units on farm crops as well as farm animals. If possible, take a field trip to a farm or farmer's market and have the children help gather the food for the cooking activities. Cooking the food together will be as enjoyable as it is educational.

Eggs

With more and more people raising chickens in their backyards, even in suburban communities, it may be possible to arrange for a visit to a chicken coop to gather eggs. Alternatively, you may be able to invite a backyard farmer to visit the class with one of his chickens. After discussing eggs, prepare deviled eggs with the children. Prepare the eggs in advance by boiling, peeling and slicing the eggs in half. Also prepare pastry bags with the deviled filling in advance. The children can pipe the filling into the eggs during class and sprinkle paprika on top before eating the finished product.

Churn Butter

This cooking activity complements a visit to or discussion of a dairy farm. Purchase several cup size cartons of heavy cream. Allow the children to take turns shaking the cartons hard. After about 10 minutes of shaking, the cream will have turned into butter. Read a book about dairy farms while the children pass the cartons of cream around. The activity will keep their hands busy while they listen to the story. Spread the butter on crackers and enjoy as a class.

Ice Cream

Use a locally grown fruit to make ice cream, such as strawberry, peach or blueberry ice cream. If possible, go to a local farm to pick the fruit as a class. If there are no local farms, bring fresh fruit to class. Discuss what is needed for the fruit to grow, and allow the children to touch and see the fruit before it is washed and chopped for ice cream. Bring an electric ice cream maker into class, add the ingredients and read a relevant story while the ice cream freezes.

Mini Pumpkin Pies

This activity goes well with a visit to a pumpkin patch. Choose a class pumpkin for the pies. Cut the pumpkin open in class, so that the children can see what is inside. Bring the pumpkin home to wash, steam and puree. Return to class with a bowl of the pureed pumpkin and a refrigerated pie crust. Use a muffin tin to make miniature pumpkin pies in each muffin cup. Allow each child to scoop the puree into his individual pie cup and to sprinkle in cinnamon and sugar. Draw a diagram that records which pie belongs to which child. Bake and serve the pie.

References

• "Denver Post"; Backyard Chickens' Popularity Catches On; Heather Sackett; March 28, 2011
• PBS Kids: Butter
• Pick Your Own: How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Resources

• All Recipes: Instant Strawberry Ice Cream