Baking Math: A Fun Way to Work with Numbers
Math. A word that kind of makes me nervous. Big numbers, lots of steps, concepts upon concepts. But what if I told you math can be a really fun thing!
Baking is one of my favorite things to do. I love to make treats and projects with all kinds of ingredients. And while I’m working with my tools and supplies I’m also knee deep in ...MATH! Teaspoons, tablespoons, cups OH MY! Here are some of the key math wonders of baking.
-Introduction of simple concepts. A recipe with steps is a great example. Here we see the idea of following a sequence of steps. Recipes that have clear steps are the best way to start.
-Baking tools such as measuring cups are a great introduction to the concept of smaller vs bigger. They stack in a certain order and letting children work with the cups helps solidify this concept.
-Rolling pins can be a great method for working on hand eye coordination. Keeping dough even is key. Both your eyes and your hands working together makes that happen!
Baking tools are a great way to introduce math!
Cornstarch dough (a little math, a lot of fun!)
I love to bake! I love to craft! This recipe is perfect for both.
Here’s what you will need:
1 Cup Baking Soda
¾ Cup Water
½ Cup Cornstarch
Step 1: Place all your ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat. Keep stirring and stirring making sure to get all the stuff on the bottom of the pan mixed in. The mixture will begin to get thicker.
Once your mixture starts to look like really delicious mashed potatoes take it off the burner! I found that my dough took about 8 minutes over medium heat. All stoves are different. So just keep a close eye!
Step 2: Put your dough in a bowl and cover the bowl with a wet cloth. Let the dough cool before your take it out to roll.
Step 3: Roll your dough into a nice round ball. Take your rolling pin and begin rolling from the center of the ball. Roll left to right and then bottom to top. Work on keeping your dough nice and even. It takes practice but i know you’ll get it.
Step 4: This is the fun part (well it’s all fun but this is REALLY fun). Cut out shapes in the dough. You can use a cookie cutter like i did or you can cut the dough into squares, triangles, whatever you like. It’s up to you! I love hearts so that’s what I choose. *a little note! Your dough maybe a little sticky as you cut shapes. I find a spatula is helpful to preserve the shape after it is cut. Just gently slide it under the shape and transfer to your baking sheet.
Step 5: Heat up your oven to 175 degrees. Bake your shapes for 1 hour flipping them over after 30 minutes.
Step 6: Now it’s time to decorate! After your shapes have come out of the oven and had a good amount of time to cool you can work with them. I choose to paint this one because I love to paint. But you could use marker or glue things on them. Or even leave them plain. Your choice!
Playing with coins!
Kids are often fascinated by money. They know it’s important, although fully understanding how it works is a bit complex for their young age. Physical money, especially coins, provides many opportunities to explore not just math, but science, dramatic play, role playing, social emotional topics, and more!
CLEAN YOUR COINS
Find your coin jar or piggy bank and dump them out. Put the coins in a big bowl with warm water and a little dish soap. With a washcloth or small scrub brush (a nail brush or old toothbrush is perfect), gently scrub the surface of each coin. Rinse them under running water and dry them on a clean towel.
OBSERVE YOUR COINS
Study your coins closely. What do you notice about them? What color/size/shape are they? What do they feel like when you rub them or squeeze them? How are the coins different or similar to each other? Look at the pictures and engravings on them. What do you see? Do you recognize any letters and numbers?
Kids can record their observations by writing and drawing, and adults can transcribe their observations and read them back later as a recall activity.
COUNT AND SORT YOUR COINS
Explore math concepts! Sort the coins into groups based on shared characteristics. Count each group. How high can you count? Stack coins to make a tower. How big can you make it before it falls down? What else could you build using coins? Make patterns with the coins, like a line of nickel-penny-nickel-penny etc. Challenge your child to continue the pattern you start, then ask them to create their own. Find a small jar or bowl and count coins as you put them in it. How many does it take to fill it up? What if you use only the biggest or smallest coins?
USE YOUR COINS FOR ART
Make pictures with the coins. I can make a smiley face, what can you make? Trace the coins to transfer your picture to paper. Add some color or glue some collage materials to the paper. Put coins under paper and try making a rubbing with the side of a crayon or a blunt pencil. This is tricky fine motor control!
A related art/sensory activity is combining coins and playdough. Coins make interesting impressions and patterns when pressed into playdough!
DRAMATIC PLAY WITH COINS
Set up a store with your kids. What are you going to sell? You could make a grocery store, a toy store, a clothing boutique, a restaurant, a hair salon, a hardware store – ask your child. Collect items from around the house and lay them out in your store display.
How much are they going to cost? You can make price tags or a menu. Role play a trip to the store, taking turns being the shopper and the seller, asking how much things cost, counting and exchanging money, bagging or packing items, etc. Don’t be afraid to get silly with it!
If your kid is into princesses/knights/other fairy tale games, a box of coins can be a great treasure. Find a shoebox or other container and turn it into a treasure chest. How will you decorate it? This kind of dramatic play is great for practicing conflict resolution.
What happens when you think $1,000,000 is WAY too expensive for two plastic apples? What if a dragon steals your treasure? What if I have ALL the silver coins and you want me to give you some? How will you negotiate these situations together?
Your child will have their own amazing ideas. Ask them how they want to play with coins and what coins are for! Is there something else they would like to do with the money?