Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn Wonders, “how does math relate to cooking” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Kaitlyn!
Renowned American chef Julia Child once said, “I’m very happy . . . if I can influence anyone to keep in the kitchen and make it a real family room and part of your life.” Does that statement ring true for your kitchen?
Maybe you’ve helped an adult family member prepare a Thanksgiving feast or a simple dinner. Perhaps you’ve helped bake a birthday cake or shared an afternoon snack. The kitchen is the heart of any home. It’s the place to go for stirring, simmering, whipping, and whirring.
Did you know, though, that the kitchen can also be a classroom? It’s true! The kitchen is a great space for learning. And you can learn much more than just how to prepare food. The kitchen is the perfect place to practice math and even science!
From tiny teaspoons to large measuring cups, our kitchens are full of tools. They can help us move math concepts from the chalkboard to the dinner table. Even basic recipes require math skills. Making recipes larger or smaller can take you even deeper into fractions, multiplication, and division!
For example, do you know the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon? A teaspoon is roughly one-sixth of a fluid ounce. A tablespoon is equal to three teaspoons.
Imagine you need to double a recipe. It calls for six teaspoons of vanilla extract. How many teaspoons of vanilla extract would you need? If you only have a tablespoon, how many tablespoons of vanilla extract would you include? If you said twelve teaspoons and four tablespoons, you’re ready for the kitchen!
Cooking together is a hands-on way to feed your hunger for knowledge. If you’ve ever WONDERed why you have to learn about numbers, the kitchen will help you grow an appreciation for math as both fun and useful.
Even more important, time spent in the kitchen offers you and your friends and family members time to connect with each other. It’s a great way to create batches of sweet memories. Cooking together can be a great time to share the events of your day with those you love.
Standards: CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.SL.1