As summer fast approaches, you may be wondering what to do with those little hands during the expanded time you have with them. Get them involved in cooking! Sure, it will take longer than if you did it by yourself, but even two year olds love to "help" Mom. Baking is one of the easiest places to start since it generally involves cool or room temperature ingredients (until you put it in the oven) and does not involve sharp knives. (Make sure to keep little fingers away from a mixer.) Perhaps this summer will be the one during which you learn to make bread! Bread is a very easy thing to let your children help with since the ingredient amounts aren't generally as precise as something like a cake. Your kitchen will be a wreck, and so, most likely, will be your child--but the two of you will have some great memories and an edible finished product to boot! Simply clean up the kitchen while your baked goods bake. Then, sit down with your proud child and enjoy the fruits of your labors!
