Happy Friday! Next week will be a normal week for Lakewood at Home. The following week we will be taking a break to evaluate the program and regroup.
Here are three invitations for today. Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Science/Sensory Invitation: Making bread in a bag
Ingredients
- 1 gallon size zip-top plastic bag
- 1 cup all purpose or bread flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 packet yeast (rapid rise or regular) (2 ¼ teaspoons if you are scooping it out of a jar)
- 1 cup warm water (95-degrees)
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 teaspoon salt
Open the zip-top bag and fold the top back. You can set it in a bowl with the fold over the rim of the bowl to support it. Place 1 cup all purpose or bread flour, sugar, and yeast in the bag.Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, and yeast packet in the bag. Add 1 cup warm water. Seal the bag, pressing out any air.
Invite your toddler to shake the bag to mix everything together really well.
Set the bag to rest for 10 minutes (proofing). This might be a good time for a snack, or to do some puzzles or read a couple of books…
After ten minutes, the dough in the bag should be bubbling.
Add the two cups of whole wheat flour, the salt and the melted butter
Seal the bag, and mix until the dough pulls away from the side of the bag. Your child can shake the bag, punch it, wiggle it, etc.
Pull out dough and place on a floured surface.
With floured hands, knead dough for 5 minutes, until it feels fairly smooth and elastic.
Place dough in a greased loaf pan (8 ½ x 4 ½ or 9 x 5 will work, or you could do 2-3 mini loaf pans).
Lay towel over the loaf pan and set it in a warm spot in your house. Leave the loaf to rise until it has risen to 1 ½ times its original size, 45 minutes to an hour. During the last 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, until dark golden and the loaf makes a hollow sound when you thump it on the bottom.
Fine Motor Invitation: Puzzles
Working with puzzles builds cognitive and fine motor skills. It can also become a music or dramatic play exploration.
Dramatic Play Invitation: Dishes and loose parts
Loose parts provide richness in many areas. This morning we are wondering what loose parts you might add to your child’s play dishes. You can offer this inside, or outside. We found large pompoms, fabric flowers, and larger lids. You could also use tree cookies, herbs from the garden, felt pieces, or fuzzy wire. What will your toddler do with these materials? How will it impact their play? As with all toddler invitations, if your child is still putting things in their mouth, make sure the loose parts are not choking hazards.
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