One day I was passing by the family corner when I notice U very busy telling his friend R “be careful it is very hot” so I turned around to see what this hot thing was. When I turned around I saw U with oven mittens on and holding saucepan in his hand. So I asked U what was so hot so he told me that he made some chicken soup for dinner and asked me if I wanted to join them so I pulled up a chair and decided to join in.

U went on to tell me about the little adventure he has at home with his mum especially when mummy makes cookies because that is his favourite. I asked U how he would feel about us baking at the centre and he was more than happy to help out so I asked U’s mum the following day to see if she had any special recipes so she wrote down a recipe for a sultana bread loaf.


The following day I told U that we were going to do baking after morning tea, U was very excited and he told all his friends that it was his mum’s recipe. This made helped U make a connection between his family life and his centre life and he also felt valued by contributing to this learning experience for him and his peers.


U wanted to be the first one to measure out the flour first, and he told his peers “make sure you only put four cups in there”. According to Copley 2000 in the early childhood settings, “measurement provides an ideal bridge between geometry and number, one that comes up frequently in everyday situations”. I have noticed children counting in sand pits and also when it comes to baking or even making play dough, we have to measure count and make sure the accurate amount of ingredients are put whatever that is being cooked.


Once we had measured all the accurate amount of ingredients, I gave the children an opportunity to mix the ingredients one at a time so that all the participants can have a turn. Most of the children waited impatiently for their turn, so this activity also encouraged children to extend on their sharing skills. Once everything was mixed, put in the baking tray and ready to be put in the oven. I asked the children what we had to do next, S suggested that we could put on top of the stove and cook it but U stopped her and said “no mummy puts it in the oven”. So I took the children in the kitchen and showed them where I was going to put it and for how long and what temperature and also talked about being safe around oven.


Once the sultana loaf was ready to be eaten, we had a piece each and even offered some to U’s mum to show that we value her contribution to the centre no matter how big or small it is.