Whenever you give a child playdough, slime, mud, or any other moldable concoction they always seem to make one thing; BIRTHDAY CAKE. Earlier this week I got to spend some time with our Littlest Munchkins, and as soon as I sat down to play I was given eight different birthday cakes. When I was done consuming one cake they immediately ran to the kitchen to bake me another. I had chocolate, cheese, strawberry, and rainbow cake along with several glasses of milk to wash it down with. After singing Happy Birthday to me several times I decided to extend this activity by making actual birthday cakes! I wanted the children to be able to have the freedom to decorate as many cakes as they wanted, and with the fresh snow fall I figured decorating snow cakes would be perfect! As soon as we were outside I laid all the materials out in the snow. Immediately, the candles were spotted and they all started yelling, "cake! cake! I want to make cake!" The children all huddled around one area and started opening the containers and decorating the snow. They used the spoons to scoop the snow into piles, and rolling pins to smooth the tops. Luckily the snow was a little wet which made the frosting spread over the tops easier. (Fluffy snow would not be as successful.)
Different spices allowed the children to make different types of cake. Chocolate was the most popular flavor, but cinnamon was a close second. As they sprinkled the spices on their cake they told me "Mmm that smell good, Les-a-lie!" When I asked them if they had smelled something like they before and one little guy said, "Yes. It's cinnamon."(Like I was crazy for asking! :)
Once the candles were in place it was now time to sing Happy Birthday to everyone, followed by taking turns blowing out the candles.
Why This Matters:
Fine Motor Development - Opening and closing containers, using utensils to cut, scoop, and spread
Hand- Eye Coordination- Placing Candles, Frostin the Cakes
Social Development - Taking turns, Working together to construct & decorate
Language Development - Singing Happy Birthday, Communicating amongst the group
-Leslie Dionne
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