This activity provides real-life practice in reading directions, sequencing and measurement skills. It also helps children develop life skills in the areas of healthy food, preparing food and applying skills learned in school to life at home.

What You'll Need

• A children's cookbook or a cookbook with simple recipes

Here's How To Do It Have your child choose a recipe, read through it, and tell you what items he needs to make it. You may want to choose a recipe for him that you know is manageable. Have him write up a shopping list of what he needs for the recipe. Then go shopping with him for the items needed. Guide him through the sequence of steps of how to make the recipe. Ask him questions such as "What should you do first?" "What should you do second?"

Donna Adkins was Arkansas Teacher of the Year in 2004. She's a National Board Certified Teacher with experience teaching grades k-3.

Updated May 2008