Kitchen Math: No Bake-Cookies

No-Bake cookies help us avoid the stress of working an oven with our little helpers in the kitchen, so we and our children can focus more on the fun side of baking. One way we liven up our baking recipes is by teaching our child the value of measurements when pouring our batter. Since we want all our cookies the same size, now is a great opportunity to teach your child about inches. That way, they have a good sense of how much batter to pour out for each cookie and they get a started on some geometry!

"no-bake cookies" by Melissa Hiller ©2012. Some rights reserved. Licensed by Creative Commons Public Works License

“no-bake cookies” by Melissa Hiller ©2012. Some rights reserved. Licensed by Creative Commons Public Works License

What you’ll need:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
3/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
3 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or any kind of nut/cookie butter if your child has allergies)
1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions:
Before you begin, make sure your Blaster knows their measurements! Bring out a ruler so that they can really understand the length of an inch and foot. For your middle school student, feel free to add in some lessons about diameter and circumference of a circle!

1.Mix together the honey, cocoa, butter, and milk.
2.Warm on medium heat.
3.Let ingredients boil for a minute and add the other ingredients .
4.Once the pot has had a chance to cool, let your Blaster spoon out the batter. Have them measure out cookies that are 2 inches long onto wax paper.
5. Let the cookies cool enough to harden.

Enjoy your cookies! Keep them refrigerated so they do not spoil. You can even include some math problems after you finish cooking. Ask them how many cookies would you have to lay out to make a foot and have them measure with a ruler to check their answer! As a reward, let them embark on some Red Alert missions with their tasty treat.

DIY Gift Exchange Ideas

The holidays often provide ample opportunities for you and your Blasters to celebrate with friends and exchange gifts as tokens of appreciate and a means of marking this very special time of year. And while the act of exchanging gifts can have all kinds of different meanings to each person involved, have you ever thought to explore the role of learning and the development of new skills through DIY holiday gift exchanges? Start by cutting the costs and looking for how you might create a homemade present instead!

DIY Holiday
Not sure where to start? Head to our DIY Holiday Gift page on Pinterest for a number of exciting craft ideas that not only promote learning and developmental skills but that also make for memorable and cherished holiday presents. From edible treats to holiday décor and so much more, the possibilities are seemingly endless when it comes to creating unique holiday gifts that your friends and family will love.

And the best part is that no matter the project that you choose these are tools for learning in almost all crafts. Remember to highlight the following elements of crafting with your kids if they’re lending a helping hand this holiday season -

  • Counting / Measuring Quantities - How many gifts will you be making? How much of each material will you need to complete your crafting project?
  • Developmental Skills - Crafts can help children approach problem solving, motor skills, creative thinking and more.

Spooky Kitchen Math: Halloween Mummies

Mummy Hot Dogs

Photo by Robot B., ©2014 Some rights reserved. Licensed by Creative Commons Public Works License

Wrap up multiplication and division in a pinch with these cute Mummy Hotdogs that are sure to please even your pickiest eater! Use hot dogs and croissant dough to build your child’s division skills while cooking up an afternoon snack for the family. This activity is especially helpful if your child is a visual learner- seeing one hot dog cut into two halves can help them understand multiplication at a basic level and then apply this skill to larger numbers. Read on to learn how to incorporate multiplication and division into these fun treats!

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Kitchen Math: Baking Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

You avoided using your oven all summer because it was too hot, right? Now that it’s October and cooler weather has started to roll in, take advantage of this fun and tasty opportunity to bring your child (and learning!) into the kitchen. Try making these delicious pumpkin cinnamon rolls over the weekend as a breakfast treat for the family! Baking and preparing ingredients can prove to be a fun and new approach to employing real world math skills.

Photo by VeganBaking.net, ©2010 Some rights reserved. Licensed by Creative Commons Public Works License.

Photo by VeganBaking.net, ©2010 Some rights reserved. Licensed by Creative Commons Public Works License.

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Amazing Autumn Days - Visit the Apple Orchards

Mark Engelbrecht, ©2013 Some rights reserved. Licensed by Creative Commons Public Works License

Ask any kid what happens in the Fall and they’ll most likely tell you that the leaves change colors and fall off the trees. What many kids may not know is that Autumn also signals the beginning of the apple season! Pumpkin gets all the attention as a Fall crop, but apples are also a great seasonal fruit. If you’ve already taken your kids to a pumpkin patch and are in search for another fun Fall activity, round up the crew and head out to an apple orchard for the day! We’ve got tips for making the day a harvest of happiness.

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Mom: The Brightest Start in Your Solar System!

Mom—she cooks, she cleans, helps with your homework, and has been there for you since day one. We celebrate her once a year, taking the time to appreciate all of the work she does that seems completely out of this world. With Mother’s Day fast approaching, have you thought of how you will be celebrating? There are many thoughtful things you can do to help show your mom that you are grateful for all that she does. Here are a couple of ideas on how you can make your mom feel like the brightest star in the universe for Mother’s Day.

Photo By Gabriela Pinto

Photo By Gabriela Pinto

Click here to make mom smile!

Show the Ooze Who’s Boss

To be a skilled Intergalactic Space Station Blaster, every Cadet must fine tune their problem solving efforts on top of quick reflexes. Oozami is the perfect training course to put your math skills and response times to the ultimate test! Climb to the top unscathed as you race against time to answer math problems that will unlock the chamber doors to freedom and away from the toxic ooze! Here are some tips and tricks that will help you conquer the obstacles in Oozami!

Escape the ooze - The most important thing to remember while training in Oozami is to never touch the ooze! So be careful as you jump from one platform to another in your search for the correct answers.

Click here for more Oozami Tips and Tricks!

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