Colorful Cupcake Math for Kids! Really!

What do cupcakes and math have in common? Nothing, you say? Well, maybe they might just have a few things in common – I mean beyond measuring ingredients to make them.

With a few drops of food coloring you can bake up a batch of rainbow cupcakes. Yes, they’re upper-tasty to eat. But, there’s so much more that you can do with them (before eating them, of course). You can use them to build your child’s fine motor skills, learn about colors, better understand fractions and explore engineering! And, don't forget the sensory aspect. Not only do they smell delicious, but they also feel pretty awesome. Take a look at the photos of ours and you'll see just how much the cupcake slices mimic sponges.

So, go ahead and make math tasty and get creative with cupcakes.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        White cupcake mix (There’s no shame in using boxed mix. Sure, your own homemade recipe may be fab. But, if you’re not the best baker, go ahead and use the one from a box)

·        Food coloring – Try using just the three primary colors (red, yellow and blue) to add in a color-mixing lesson.

 

Here’s What to Do:

1. Mix up the cupcake batter.

2. Divide the batter into three or more bowls.

3. Add two to three drops of food coloring into each bowl. Your child may notice that the color turns lighter as you mix. Ask her why she thinks this is happening (hint: Ask her what color the batter is). If you don’t have a rainbow of hues on hand, mix the primary colors to make the secondaries (orange, purple and green).

4. Pour the batter into a cupcake tin and bake (follow the directions on the box/recipe).

5. Let the cupcakes cool completely.

6. Slice the cupcakes into pieces. Cut a whole slice, and then make halves, fourths or thirds.

Now it’s time to explore! If you want to work with fractions your child can build on a whole cupcake base. Add a quarter, or half on top. Then add and subtract ‘pie’ pieces.

If your child wants to experiment with engineering, have her build a tower, a wall or whatever type of structure she wants.

When you’re all done with the math, your child can eat the pieces! Not all at the same time though, of course.

Are you looking for more kids’ activities? Follow our Pinterest board for ideas!

Follow Mini Monets and Mommies's board Creative Kids Crafts on Pinterest.