Teaching Across the Curriculum

Use your time in the kitchen to teach across the curriculum. Relate what the child is doing to arithmetic, reading, science, and geography. Guided questioning is very helpful in expanding your child's field of knowledge.

Here is an example:

1) Have the child prepare Navajo Fry Bread (recipe below) and then answer the questions given.

2) Why do you think this is called Navajo Fry Bread? Look on a map and find where the Navajo Indians live.

3) Why did you use oil in the skillet when you fried your Navajo Fry Bread?

4) Describe how the dough felt when you kneaded it. Use as many different adjectives as you can think of to describe it.

5) What kind of shapes did you cut your Indian Fry Bread into? Which shape did you like best? Why?

RECIPE
Navajo Fry Bread

Mix together these ingredients (use a small bowl):

• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

In another small bowl mix together:

• 4 Tbsp. flour mixture
• 2 Tbsp. warm water

After the flour mixture and warm water is mixed together, take it out of the bowl and place it on a floured cutting board.

Knead the dough until it is soft and like elastic.

Roll it out so that it is flat.  Use a rolling pin.

Cut the dough into shapes using a biscuit cutter and table knife.

Pour a small amount of oil into a skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Put your dough shape in the skillet and fry each side until golden brown.

Take your dough shape out of the skillet. Blot it with a clean paper towel.

Fry another dough shape until all the shapes are fried.

Serve your Navajo Fry bread with honey while it is still warm.