Math activities in the kitchen include measuring ingredients (fraction use for ingredients), estimation and Extensions reading the clock (telling time or how much time is left for the cake to bake), temperature of the oven, counting the amount of times you stir the soup, count how many muffins you baked, etc. Talk about the multi sensory aspects of kitchen literacy and ask your parents to use new vocabulary with their children when the compare and contrast the different textures, sounds, smells, sights of the foods that they cook with. Don’t forget about counting how many cookies each child gets and other counting games. “Canada’s Food Guide” also describes the numbers of food groups necessary for good health per day. It classifies food groups, etc. A lot of math is involved when using Canada’s Food Guide.

For mixing and measuring, you may have to work hand-over-hand with your child, depending on their age. This is still a great way for your child to be a part of real life activities. Also, if your child happens to be a picky eater, he or she will be more likely to try the food if he helped prepare the food, even if they only washed the strawberries.

Some other examples of using math in the kitchen…ask your child to pass you the largest cereal box or ask which shapes stack the easiest (you could pull out cans and compare).

Baking versus Cooking (and how it relates to right and left brain use)
(logic vs creative)

People who like baking or only cook from a recipe are usually considered “left brain” thinkers. They tend to be logical (step by step problem-solvers), sequential (list makers, good spellers), linear (detail oriented); symbolic (learn by phonics), verbal (language-based instructions are easy), and reality based (know the rules and accept them). Bakers like to prepare cakes, cookies and other sweets.

People who like to experiment with cooking and will get in the kitchen and just go for it are often creative and considered “right brain” thinkers. Intuitive (start with the answer and work back), random (multitask without priorities), holistic (the big picture), concrete (learn by whole language), non-verbal (body language, pointing hand signals), and fantasy based (want to change their environment). Cooks like preparing the main course.