Breakfast Beginnings
Project #1 – Yogurt by You
Making yogurt is pretty easy – all it requires is some time. You need just three things:
1/2 gallon of whole milk, 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (with active cultures) and a cooking thermometer.
We followed a recipe found on the kitchn, and we suggest you do the same for more detailed instructions.
First, heat up the milk to just before boiling in a heavy pot. Take turns stirring constantly. This changes the protein structure of the milk.
Cool the milk to warm. In a separate bowl, whisk one cup of the warm milk with 1/2 cup of yogurt. The yogurt contains bacteria needed to make your milk nice and thick.
Pour this mixture back into the pot. Put a lid on the pot and keep it warm for 4 hours. We left ours in an oven with the light on.
After 4 hours, your yogurt should have thickened with some clumps. Stir, then cool in the refrigerator.
Why We Like It: This is an easy, healthy activity in which your kids can actually witness the transformation of milk into a much-loved dairy product. Add flavors and toppings!
Project #2 – Grains for Brains
While you wait for the yogurt to set up, work on this fun craft:
Breakfast cereals come in so many colors and shapes that it’s hard to tell what they’re made of. This activity will help children understand what it is they’re eating for breakfast.
You will need:
Grains to Cereal worksheet (Lesson 15) printed onto card stock
White card stock
School glue
Markers
Rice
Oatmeal
Wheat kernels – found in most bulk sections of the supermarket
Popcorn kernels
Rice cereal
Oat cereal
Wheat cereal
Corn cereal
8 small bowls
Grains are seeds that come from grass plants.
corn
wheat
oats
rice
Next, have your child draw a generic grass stalk in each large rectangle on the worksheet.
Grain seeds are picked and processed (usually ground) before they are made into food.
Your child can glue the different types of seeds on each stalk.
He can now glue the corresponding cereal into the bowls directly beneath. (He might have fun coloring the bowls, too):