There are so many benefits to cooking in the classroom, especially for students with special needs! What better time is there to try some fun cooking projects with your class, than at the end of the school year? But wait…cooking in the classroom can require a lot of prep, and where do you get your ideas for recipes? Well, I got you covered there! All you need to do is grab the list of ingredients, print out the worksheets, and follow the lesson plans below!
Does Lemonade, Worms in Dirt, and S’mores make you think of SUMMER?! It sure does for me! Below you will find 3 lesson plans for simple recipes to cook in the classroom with your students. In each cooking project, your students will practice following directions, put together a cute sequencing booklet, and enjoy some delicious treats!
These simple cooking in the classroom ideas are a fun way to work on life skills, sequencing, and following directions while celebrating the last week of school with your students. My students loved making the sequencing booklets because it was about something they ACTUALLY did! And… they were super excited to take them home to show their families the fun cooking project they did in class. These cooking activities are great for special education classrooms and students with Autism.
Below you will find ingredient lists and lesson plans for some fun cooking in the classroom ideas. If you are looking to save on prep time, check out Recipe and Sequencing BUNDLE for ready-to-go, visually-supported recipes, and sequencing booklets I made for my classroom!
Cooking Activity #1: Simple Lemonade
What you need (per student):
1 large lemon (pre-cut into slices for easy squeezing)
2 TBSP white sugar
1 cup water (1/2 warm and 1/2 cold)
plastic cup
ice
Recipe Directions:
Squeeze the lemon in the cup and take out the seeds.
Add 2 TBSP of sugar.
Pour in 1/2 cup of warm water and stir.
Add 1/2 cup of cold water and stir.
Add ice.
DRINK!
Easy peasy lemon squeezy! My Simple Lemonade Recipe and Sequencing Activity includes a visual recipe and a sequencing booklet!
After we completed the recipe, we reviewed the steps we followed and made a cute sequencing booklet! I created two versions of this booklet for my students. In version 1, students use visual support to write the steps of the recipe. In version 2, students match pictures to sequence the steps of the recipe.
Cooking Activity #2: Worms in Dirt
What you need (per student):
1 cup of chocolate pudding
2 chocolate sandwich cookies
2 gummy worms
clear plastic cup
Recipe Directions:
Smash the cookies.
Put some of the cookie pieces in the chocolate cup.
Add pudding.
Put the rest of the cookies on top of the pudding.
Put the gummy worms in the dirt.
Eat!
My Worms in Dirt Recipe and Sequencing Activity is ready-to-go and includes a visual recipe for your students!
This one was definitely a favorite! Who doesn’t love a little Worms in Dirt? We even looked up some worm fact videos for kids on YouTube to go along with this one. Did you know that worms have hair?!
Cooking Activity #3: Simple S’mores
What you need (per student):
2 graham crackers
1 piece of chocolate bar
1 marshmallow
plate
microwave
Recipe Directions:
Put a graham cracker on a plate.
Add a piece of chocolate on top of the graham cracker.
Put a marshmallow on top of the chocolate.
Place the S’more in the microwave for 15 seconds. Then put a graham cracker on top when you take it out.
Eat!
This Simple S’more Recipe Activity is a ready-to-go, visually-supported recipe, AND includes a cute sequencing booklet!
We did one cooking activity each day during our last few days of school, and we still learned a little bit while enjoying some delicious treats! Thank you for reading! Have a great Summer!
If you like cooking in the classroom with your students, check out my Recipe and Sequencing BUNDLE in my TPT store! This BUNDLE includes recipe activities for Lemonade, S’mores, Worms in Dirt, Caramel Apples, Hot Cocoa, Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Chocolate Milk, Pumpkin Pie in a Cup, Ice Cream in a Bag, MIlkshakes, Pizza Muffins, and Toast.
If you are interested in another fun cooking activity for your classroom, you can also Check out this post on how I used the book Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy. It’s a great book for building character in the classroom and some cooking fun!
