This great activity includes the following learning skills:
Exploring concepts such as opposites: hot/cold, soft/hard, smooth/rough
Maths: by counting and measuring
Social skills: by taking turns and working as a team, even if you are doing it just with your child, than you each take turns at pouring and mixing.
Problem solving: how do we get the banana to be smooth?
Using frozen bananas for this cooking activity gave me the opportunity to introduce the children to the scientific concept of how things change forms with a focus on freezing and melting. We talked about how cold temperatures (like in our freezer) can turn liquids into solids, and in our case soft bananas into hard bananas. The children were fascinated and were eager to investigate further.
They touched the frozen bananas and got to feel how cold they were. We counted how many bananas were in the bowl, which was great not just for counting but numbering items too. We talked about the texture and exchanged words like soft, hard, rough and smooth.
Once the bananas began to thaw we peeled them and using a potato masher the children took turns at mashing the bananas. Here the children were able to see how they were turning the banana into another form! The children took turns at pouring, mixing and stirring. They were able to watch how the ingredients interacted together and they got to see how the uncooked liquid-like batter turned into a solid once cooked. Who knew science could be so delicious?
Even though so much ‘in-the-moment’ learning takes place, the most important thing here is to have fun. We never aim for perfection and value mess-making. Remember it’s about the process not the outcome.
This has to be the easiest banana bread I ever made with the children. It’s moist, soft and delicious.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
3-4 bananas mashed
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
Method
Preheat the oven to 160c.
Grease a small bread tin and line with baking paper.
Sift flour and bicarbonate soda into a bowl, add sugar.
Make a well in centre and add bananas, eggs and oil.
using a wooden spoon or a hand held mixer mix until smooth.
Pour batter into the tin and bake for 50-60minutes.
Love,
Nava.
PS - I love hearing from you! Let me know how it went and feel free to spread the word/passion/love, the more the merrier!
