Hands on Home Learning: Let's get baking!

Welcome back to another exciting week of learning in Hub One!  We hope you had a restful and enjoyable weekend with your families.

This week, we're challenging the learners to get into the kitchen to help with come baking or cooking - if you manage to take part in this Hands on Home Learning Challenge, please send a photo along to sarahh@stonefields.school.nz and I'll be sure to load it up on here!

Baking and cooking can be a great way to get your kids learning in an authentic and fun way.  It opens up discussion about healthy eating and gets the kids reading and measuring (which is a part of maths)... not to mention the possibilities that arise around oral language and written language (they may like to comment on this post, with your help, sharing their experience with us).

It can be as big or small as you like... and if you're stuck for ideas, this is my favourite chocolate cupcake recipe - yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use baking cocoa, not drinking cocoa)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Makes 18 cupcakes (using Wilton cupcake papers) with flat tops