Litearcy Activities in the Kitchen: Hot Chocolate Banana Muffins

Are you ready for this month’s Virtual Book Club for Kids?  Our featured author this month is Laura Numeroff.  We decided to feature If You Give a Moose a Muffin and we created a yummy recipe to make with the kids.  There is even a FREE printable writing activity to tie everything together!

If you are new to Virtual Book Club for Kids here is a little background.  The Educators’ Spin On It, Toddler Approved and Rainy Day Mum have put together a wonderful line-up of great authors to explore.  On the second Thursday of each month, talented bloggers will be share one of the three featured books by the highlighted author that month.  Each blogger shares an activity or craft to compliment one of the three books.  You are invited to try out as many of the ideas that you feel would be a good fit for your kids.

Now, onto the Laura Numeroff book and activity we chose this month.

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Literacy Activities in the Kitchen

The Book:  If You Give a Moose a Muffin

If You Give a Moose a Muffin is part of a very fun series by Laura Numeroff.  When a moose comes to visit, you will have to give him a muffin.  And of course if you give him a muffin, he will want some jam to go with it.  One thing will remind him of another until eventually we circle back to him wanting a muffin again at the end of the story.

The Activities:

Hot Chocolate Banana Muffins

Cooking and baking with children is a wonderful way to develop vocabulary, teach following directions, and bond with kids.

This recipe was created by mistake and has become one of our favorites.  One day while making banana bread, my 2 year-old dumped a jar of hot chocolate mix into the bowl.  It ended up turning out really well! We’ve tweaked the recipe a bit more and have now come up with our go to muffin recipe.  They would be perfect for any moose!

Ingredients: 

• 1½ cups white whole wheat flour (you could also use All Purpose flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 TBSP cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ⅓ cup butter, melted

Directions:

This recipe makes 12 delicious muffins!  While the muffins cook enjoy reading If You Give a Moose a Muffin again.

Ready to Write

Build more literacy skills by having your child think through the muffin making process.  Print this book (Muffin Book)template and staple the pages together.  If your child isn’t writing yet, he or she can draw a picture on each page.  Young writers can add words and sentences based on their abilities.

The book makes a wonderful keepsake of your baking experience.

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Now, it’s time to explore some other great activities and crafts to compliment Laura Numeroff’s books.

• Cookie Sensory Bottle
• DIY Pretend Play Cookies
• Cookie Delivery Rube Goldberg Machine
• Free Printable If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Activities
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Counting Cards
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Counting Activities
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Number Game