Baking activity for toddlers

Hello everyone!! Wish you all a very happy New Year!! The last month of 2013 past by really fast. Me and my little one did lots of fun activities together.  He is really crazy about everything related to Christmas. Good for us there were a lot of fun fairs, Christmas markets and Christmas parties here in Dubai. They even had artificial snowfall at fairs and market which I think everyone from old to young enjoyed. One such Christmas market had a workshop for kids to make or/and decorate gingerbread cookies and houses organized by French Bakery. My son is too young for that I thought. He was 22 months in Dec 2013. But since he really loves to watch Maisy bake gingerbread i began to plan in mind a baking fun activity with him. So one morning when he was telling me how to make a gingerbread, I thought he is just ready for baking. 

1) I gave him a steel bowl with 3 eggs in it. He was super happy and roamed all over in admiration.

2) then I let him break the eggs under my supervision. 

3) then he whisked the eggs.. Round and round. I let till he was satisfied. Then dropped the flour and other things in it. Again the mixing went on. Before pouring it in the pan I whisked it again.

3) then he poured it in the pan.. Yes he dropped it here and there. He had fun.

4) then I put it in the oven. I keep him away from oven and stove.

5) he admired his creations after they cooled down. 

6) then we drew designs on it. I held his hand while doing it.

Voila that's it!! It tasted amazing. Out of this world.

After this we have baked 2 more cakes and gingerbread man cookies. He loves the idea of putting things together and then it forms a shape that everyone eats. 

Some tips if you are planning such a activity:

Safety first: Keep all sharp objects away from his reach. Operate oven and blender by myself. 

Planning or not:  Let this activity be impromptu, unplanned when your enthusiasm is at high and the little one is also in the mood to 'create' or 'make ' something. 

Enjoy: Don't stress too much about the mess they would create. 

Role playing: Two  roles I let him play in our baking activities are either 

Assistant: Make him your assistant and tell him to get/ keep things, mix or pour.

Or

Master chef- in-training: Give instructions and help/intervene/ a bit but not too much.

Be a role model: I have learned that Children learn a activity  when they watch their mother/ father doing it and enjoying it. 

Above all not to forget. All children are different and that's the beauty of life.

All images taken by me@ home. Please do not copy without permission.

Summer project: Gulkhand- rose petal jam

This is our first experience of the Middle eastern summer. The summer here with its heat, temperature and humidity makes it so terrible.The mercury rises past 45- 49°C.. (even at night)

But I believe that everything has some advantages and some disadvantages ..So I thought why not turn this weather disadvantage into a advantage.. I think this weather is perfect for making Gulkand- rose petal jam which is made by keeping it in sunlight..Confused? Here it how it is made..

My new motto for the summer project..something on the lines of  when life gives lemonade......

A little background of what we are making here...Rose Gulkand is a  rose petal preserve or rose petal jam. Gul means flower in Persian/ Urdu and qand means sweet in Arabic. It is one of the most delicious Ayurvedic preparations which has been used for centuries.. It has many benefits as it acts as an antioxident, blood purifier, digestive tonic, reduces stress and fatigue and relieves body of the extra heat and stress especially in summer season..

Ingredients:

I have used basic ingredients which are rose petals, sugar and cardamom powder.. You will need an air tight glass jar also..In India people add some more Ayurvedic spices to it..but these are hard to find outside India..

Procedure:

Clean the roses thoroughly under gentle stream of water.
 let them dry for a while.. Make sure that there is no water remaining in the rose petals and also the jar..

Now make layers of rose petals and sugar in the jar one after other..

Close the lid of the jar tightly .. Keep it in a dry place where it will get direct sunlight as much as possible.. The sugar melts in natural sunlight and thus 'cooking' the petals with it..With a spoon mix the jam every other day.. Depending on the heat the GulKhand is ready in 10- 20 days..

Some tips:

-In the first few days when you stir the ingredients in the jar you will know if you need more sugar .. add more in the early stages only.

-The jam will be considerably reduced by the time it is done.

- Different types of roses have different flavor..

-Cutting the petals in small makes it easier to form the jam ..

Images: @ my home and subject to copyright!!