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Sweet lessons: Hone school skills with edible games
Beth Engelman learning with the food board game. | Buzz Orr—Sun-Times Media
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Updated: September 10, 2012 10:41AM
Turn snack time into learning time with these fun (and tasty) activities that reinforce math, science and reading skills.
Edible Hangman
Practicing spelling words takes on a new meaning with this classic game that swaps paper and pen for cheese and crackers.
You need:
Crackers (Cheese-It “Scrabble Crackers” work well, but you can also opt to write your own letters with plain wheat crackers and squirtable cheese)
Bell pepper (sliced)
Celery (cut into 4-inch pieces)
Baby carrots
Cherry tomatoes (cut into halves)
Directions:
Players take turns deciphering a mystery word by guessing the letters that comprise the word. If player guesses a correct letter, that letter is placed on the game board. However, if the letter is incorrect, an arm (bell pepper), leg (carrot), head (tomato), or body (celery) is placed on the board instead. The object of the game is to guess the mystery word before all body parts are added.
Thank you to Disney Family Fun for sharing this idea.
S’more Fractions
Next time your kids complain about math homework, remind them that it takes fraction know-how to make s’mores.
You need:
4 graham crackers
1 chocolate bar
4 marshmallows
Directions:
Place graham crackers, marshmallows and candy bar on a table.
Tell your kids that you’d like to make four s’mores but need help getting all the ingredients together.
Challenge kids to find a way to make eight graham crackers from the four crackers placed on the table.
Next move onto the chocolate bar and ask how they can create four mini bars out of one?
Remind the kids that by dividing the graham crackers in half, and the chocolate bar in fourths, they are making fractions.
Continue making the s’mores and enjoy. You’ve earned it.
M&M Mastermind
Put logical reasoning to the test with this code-breaking game made with chocolate candies.
You need:
Chocolate candies (use at least four colors)
Chocolate chips (white and black)
Small cardboard box
Directions:
Players take turns breaking color codes with a sequence of clues. To play, the code-maker creates a code using four or five different colored candies. He then hides his code behind a small cardboard box. The code-breaker is then tasked with deciphering the code by placing colored chocolates on the board in a particular order. The code-breaker gives feedback and clues in the form of chocolate chips.
White chips = correct color, wrong position
Black chips = correct color, correct position
The code-breaker uses the clues to decipher the code. Once the code is broken, the players switch roles and play again.
Ice Cream in a Bag
Skip the ice cream parlor and opt for a little science in the form of this frosty experiment.
You need:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rock salt
Ice cubes
2 plastic bags (quart and gallon)
Directions:
Place milk, sugar and vanilla in a pint-sized bag.
Seal bag closed and place into a gallon-sized bag.
Add rock salt and ice to the outer bag.
Shake concoction vigorously for 5 minutes, or until ice cream thickens.
Serve immediately.
Why does this work? In order to make ice cream, you need to freeze the milk, which can only be done if you lower the freezing temperature of ice. So, by adding rock salt to the ice cubes, the ice melts just enough to help make the milk freeze. I guess now we know why we add rock salt to icy roads.
