When children write recipes

As they find their way in the world, children learn many skills by imitating their parents and other adults with whom they interact. How many of us have said that we learned to cook or bake from watching our parents or grandparents? Although we may have indeed learned from them, our earliest experiences probably were not anything close to skilled, and we required substantial guidance from mom or dad until we actually got the hang of it. 

That’s why the collection of recipes written by toddlers as part of a pre-school class are fascinating and hilarious. Think about how you would have described making a dish when you were four, and you might get an inkling of the ‘recipes’ that result. The teachers recorded the children reciting the recipes, allowing them to capture the stream of consciousness that the children share. 

Highlights include ‘Sebastian’s Pancakes’, which include one ingredient, take three minutes to make, and cost $70 according to Sebastian. He describes the process like this:

You get a thingy from the house and put it in the hot thingy. Turn on the hot thingy and it burns so you have to be careful. You make like, something and put it in it and it cooks. Then you get a plate and finish it. Don’t leave the plate on the table, you have to throw it away in the sink or flies will get on it.

It sounds like these kids could use The Ultimate Kids’ Cookbook pictured above! The teachers at the preschool made a book out of the childrens’ recipes and gave it to the children’s moms on Mother’s Day. No doubt that will be something they cherish for a long time (and perhaps use it to embarrass their kids when they get older).