Good morning! Here are three invitations for preschoolers on a hot Tuesday in July.
Cooking Invitation: Making basil sauce for pasta
You can make this simple pasta sauce using a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Your child can work with you peeling the garlic, washing and measuring the basil, grinding things in the mortar and pestle.
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- ⅓ cup olive oil or more as needed
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or parmesan)
- Kosher salt as needed
Mortar and pestle method: Combine garlic and basil leaves in the mortar and pestle and grind until smooth-ish. Slowly add the olive oil and continue to blend. Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on pasta or rice.
Food processor method: Combine everything in a food processor, pulse until blended. Serve on pasta or rice.
For a more mild sauce, you can use spinach in place of half the basil.
Language Invitation: Recipe creation
This offering is related to the cooking invitation, but can be offered on its own as well. Invite your child to create their own recipe. They can do this with ingredients in the kitchen, dictate a recipe to you, or draw/write on their own. This is an opportunity for creative expression, exploring mark making, and also a way for adults to learn more about how children think about cooking and recipes.
Science/Connecting Invitation: How is your tree today? What do you notice about its bark?
Today we hope your child has an opportunity to revisit the tree they befriended last week. On this visit, we are wondering what your child might notice about their tree friend’s bark. Is it smooth, is it rough? Is it peeling off like crepe myrtles do this time of year? Perhaps they will notice some ants taking a walk on the bark. Your child might also be interested in making a bark rubbing using a crayon and a piece of paper.
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