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I have been searching for recipies to do with the under 5s, their are lots out there but my problem is the session only lasts 3 hours. when you take out the time for arriving, tidy up time, singing time etc I'm only left with 1 1/2 hours.

 

Does anyone know of any good sites or has some good quick recipes they would like to share please?

 

Thank you.

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We cook every Wednesday within a 3 hour session and have made everything - from cottage loaves (using a breadmix), cakes (including Christmas cakes - made one week and decorated the next), biscuits, cheese straws etc etc. We manage to fit it in by having only two groups of 6. The children cook once per fortnight to make it more manageable, but it works well. The activity is managed by only one member of staff who copes well.

I have the recipe cards if you are interested.

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Mary60 ...what about changing the routine for the days that you want to cook....that way you might have more time? We manage to 'do' 30 children in a session with just one staff member. Recent items....fruit salad, playdough, soup, sweets, cakes.

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Yes please.

I think my mistake has been trying to include as many children as possible during the session.

Personally I think it better to do smaller groups than to do everyone; it's less like a 'production line' and provides more opportunity for talk ... and if it becomes a regular activity, the children talk about when it's their turn, so they don't expect to cook every week. I have laminated the recipes, keep them in the filing cabinet and each term take out the ones I need and put them on the wall in the kitchen to encourage discussion.

Anyhow, here's the attachments for the recipe cards (all have been tried and tested) ...

Whoops - rather more than I realised ;) (all are in word docs so can be edited - I think some of the 'older' recipe cards are in ounces!)

Recipe Card - Alien Cupcakes.doc

Recipe Card - Animal Biscuits.doc

Recipe Card - Apple and Apricot Cake.doc

Recipe Card - Apple Cake.doc

Recipe Card - Apple Crumble.doc

Recipe Card - Bread Caterpillar.doc

Recipe Card - Bread Snails.doc

Recipe Card - Butterfly Cakes.doc

Recipe Card - Carrot Cake (Jewish New Year).doc

Recipe Card - Cheese Candles (Candlemas).doc

Recipe Card - Cheese Moon Scones.doc

Recipe Card - Cheese Palmiers.doc

Recipe Card - Cheese Straws.doc

Recipe Card - Cherry cloverleaf buns.doc

Recipe Card - Chocolate Chip Cookies.doc

Recipe Card - Chocolate Krispies.doc

Recipe Card - Christmas Cake.doc

Recipe Card - Cottage loaf.doc

Recipe Card - Crumble Castle.doc

Recipe Card - Dinosaur Food.doc

Recipe Card - Eccles Cake.doc

Recipe Card - Egg sandwiches.doc

Recipe Card - Fairy Cake.doc

Recipe Card - Flying Saucer Pitta Pockets.doc

Recipe Card - Fruit Kebabs.doc

Recipe Card - Fruit Salad.doc

Recipe Card - Gingerbread Person.doc

Recipe Card - Hot Cross Buns.doc

Recipe Card - House Biscuits.doc

Recipe Card - Jacket Potato.doc

Recipe Card - Jam Tarts.doc

Recipe Card - Jelly.doc

Recipe Card - Ladybird Pizza.doc

Recipe Card - New Year Cookies.doc

Recipe Card - Number biscuits.doc

Recipe Card - Oat biscuits.doc

Recipe Card - Orange and lemon biscuits.doc

Recipe Card - Orange Cornmeal Cake.doc

Recipe Card - Pizza.doc

Recipe Card - Plaited loaf.doc

Recipe Card - Playdough.doc

Recipe Card - Polish Kolaczki.doc

Recipe Card - Polish Szarlotka.doc

Recipe Card - Raspberry Cheesecake.doc

Recipe Card - Rock Buns.doc

Recipe Card - Sandwiches.doc

Recipe Card - Sausage Rolls.doc

Recipe Card - Scones.doc

Recipe Card - Seed Cake.doc

Recipe Card - Spaceship surprise.doc

Recipe Card - Sugar and Cherry Palmiers.doc

Recipe Card - Sugar mice.doc

Recipe Card - Summer Bonnet Biscuits.doc

Recipe Card - Three bean salad and Tortilla wrap.doc

Recipe Card - Traffic light biscuits.doc

Recipe Card - Tuna Pasta Salad.doc

Recipe Card - Vegetable Soup.doc

Shopping List.doc

Recipe Card - Baked bean parcels.doc

Recipe Card - Banana Cake.doc

Recipe Card - Bears on Sticks.doc

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Hi finleysmaid , I think I will change the current routine but I think I will go for smaller groups in a session rather than trying to fit everyone in each day.

Edited by mary60
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lovely recipes. thanks so much. we do cooking over 2 days - 31 children, so that they know it'll be tomorrow if not today. and 4 at a time - nursery so smaller groups work well, and gives all children a chance to talk/contribute x

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These are brilliant Devonmaid - will definitely be downloading as it is lovely to have some different ideas.

 

We have a couple of the Usborne cookery books that they produce for children which are also v. useful.

 

Another fab. site that we use encourages healthy, seasonal eating and cookery - although the courgette muffins (loved by children / loathed by staff) were a bit hit and miss xD The link to the site is below:

 

http://www.tasteforlifenursery.com/a-practitioner.html

 

I would also advocate small groups - we usually do four children per group (each with their own mixing bowl, rolling pin, spoon etc) and depending on what we are cooking about 3 groups per session. All the children soon come to understand that they will "get a go" at some point during the week and working in smaller groups really means that they get some quality interaction.

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I would also advocate small groups for all the reasons DM quoted - time to discuss recipe ingredients and enabling staff to assist children so they can further their skills and understanding. Our children take it in turns daily to prepare snack - this really helps with the reluctant healthy eaters and if an item for taking home is likely to take time we start first thing whilst others are at register - we also introduced birthday child making cakes for snack on their birthday choosing a friend of their choice to help make them and then have a birthday snack - this has been received really well by all .

By the way DM love the recipes cards :1b

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um just to confirm...i don't have all 30 sitting down at the same time :o i'm not that mad!!! :P

but i do have 2 year olds and lots of sen in the group so waiting till the next day is virtually impossible and waiting till the next week would just be unworkable for my group.

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Hi SueJ, thank you, I have used the website you suggested before. I learnt a lot about how to get children to try new things, in the past I would have encouraged the children to take a small bite first but they recommend you get them to lick the fruit and veg first. I had more success with this, I think they felt safer just licking it and a lot went on to actually take a bite.

Parents were impressed too that their child had gone on to try the same fruit and veg at home. So result.

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Thank you DevonMaid they are just brilliant.

I prefer smaller groups and I will have a go at how you do it, can't wait to try them all.

 

Thank you very much.

I have attached the paperwork that I use to group my children, if it is any use to you. A copy of this goes on the noticeboard for parents information and a copy in the kitchen - I also have a copy in the quiet room, where I take the register so that I can send the cookery group to get ready as soon as I have finished registration. We are lucky in that the kitchen area is child friendly, so they have child size worktops which means that the children can stand up to do their cooking.

When we cook, the kitchen area is out of bounds to all other children although it is open plan so others can watch if they wish. On other days the kitchen is used for playdough/clay activities. All the children do their own cooking (with help where needed of course), but what they make is their own, so if they have licked their fingers then other children's cooking is not 'contaminated'! The ingredients on the recipe cards are enough for each child (not the whole group!). I lent one of the recipe cards to another teacher (my daughter, in fact :D) who thought the quantity was enough for the class!! :P

Good luck with the cookery activities.

Cookery Activities FSF.doc

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Thank you DevonMaid for that, I can adapt it to fit with our group. Having the list up for parents to see will help as we get the usual questions of "why hasn't my child made one today?" also it won't take them long to get used to the new routine for cooking. In my experience children usually get used to new routines quicker than adults.

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Thank you Devonmaid for all those recipes. Only yesterday we we were saying that we need to look for more things that children can make individually. I shall have a look through them to see what we can use.

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Here is one I make with my 4 year olds - one cup of each ingredient all mixed in together, place into a loaf tin lined with baking paper/parchment, cook in moderate oven for about 1/2 hour.

Fruit Cake.docx

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Hi lashes2508, I like the idea of the birthday child making treats on their birthday, I can imagine it does go down well.

 

yes it does Mary - historically the child whose birthday it was got A chocolate button at register and then gave each child one ( alternative for any dairy intolerant children) - happy birthday sung with cardboard cake and present and card to take home ( were not allowed to open it !)

at register we sing happy Birthday and give present and card ( child can open it if they wish ) and child get to choose a friend or two to take in kitchen and make cakes either krispie choc or fairy cakes - we then have fruit and then child gives out cakes to all and we sing again with candles and photos - it really is lovely and so far positive feedback from all - we always ask child if they ok with the singing as some don't like all the attention or our voices :D

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