Baking with your kids should be fun, especially when you have EASY KIDS RECIPES to help you. As a homeschool Mom, I often wondered, "Why bake with my kids? Is it really necessary?" It is such a time consuming and exhausting part of a Homeschool Curriculum. With a bit of research I soon discovered HOW IMPORTANT BAKING WITH YOU KIDS REALLY IS. There are a number of reasons, which I'd like to share with you, but the most important for me is ... to build self reliance. To me baking and cooking with my kids is not just a task that is performed, it has a deep psycholigical aspect.

The enjoyment of spending time with your kids, away from the HOMESCHOOL BOOKS and WORKSHEETS. Just time to get into the kitchen, and enjoy yourselves. A fair amount of the enjoyment comes from having EASY KIDS RECIPES to follow. Recipes that are not only easy but that kids will enjoy using, and then eating the final product!

At the same time, your kids are learning whilst using all their senses. How many lessons do you do where all their senses are at work? And because of this, their learning takes place so easily. This is what Homeschooling is all about!

USING ALL THEIR SENSES

For 3 - 6 year olds, they're improving their co-ordination. They're pouring liquids, learning not to spill them. They're aiming ingredients at the mixing bowl and getting them in. That's what fun easy kids recipes are all about.

Their sense of touch is being utilised, flour feels soft, sugar feels gritty, butter is slippery. Their sense of smell, is utilised. The smell of milk, cinnamon, sugar, lemon and cocoa. Their sense of sound is being utilised, the sound of a wooden spoon on a ceramic bowl is totally different to a metal spoon on the same ceramic bowl. Their sense of taste of course, both raw and cooked ingredients.

READING AND MATHS SKILLS

The beginning of their maths skills, are being learnt... 3 teaspoons of sugar and if you cut a block of butter into 2 equal pieces, those are called halves.

For 7 - 10 year olds, all their senses are also at work - sight, sound, smell, touch and taste.

They have the adding benefit of improving their maths and reading skills. They're able to start reading the easy kids recipes and the labels on the ingredients. They're learning to work out halves and quarters, measuring and weighing.

BUILDING SELF CONFIDENCE AND SELF RELIANCE

Now the most important reasons of all for me. To build self confidence and self reliance. My kids walk into our local bakery and confidently tell the baker, whilst pointing at specific goodies, "I can bake that you know." With such a look of pride on their faces. They feel so confident, they don't need anyone to supply them with yummy goodies, they can do it themselves.

This is really important because to survive we need to be able to make our own food. It is a basic survival instinct, to eat. Children inherently realise this, and obtain a feeling of self reliance when they know that they are able to meet their most basic needs independently.

Remember how thrilled your child was when he was able to pour his own juice without asking for help? There again he was meeting his most basic need independently. I cannot stress this point enough!

• to build self esteem and self reliance
• to awaken all their senses whilst learning
• to improve their maths skills
• to improve their reading skills
• to facilitate family bonding

And, as importantly to enjoy each others' company in an out of the ordinary yet comfortingly familiar environment.

Not for one minute am I saying rush into the kitchen and start cooking with them! You need at least a BIT OF HELP.

Wait a few minutes at least and join us on our Bakers Day Homeschool Journey, where we show you how we "Conquered Bakers Day", using fun easy kids recipes for a start. Baking with your children can be a dream come true or a truly nightmare experience, which we've all been through, but we have a solution to this. Bakers day can be loving, warm, stress-free and educational.

Come and share our journey, join me and see how we've...