Cooking with Kids: Popcorn

We needed a quick, easy, and somewhat healthy snack today. My kids have been wanting to make popcorn, but I didn't want to deal with the "mess." Then I thought about it again. What mess was I going to have if we made fresh popcorn? Why was I so concerned and worried that it wouldn't be fun and easy?

So I said, why not?!

I pulled out the popcorn maker and corn kernels and we got started.

I had the kids help me measure out a 1/2 cup of kernels (I may have made this easier by measuring 2 1/4 cups instead of 1 1/2 cup, that way both kids could dump their own measure cup into the popper) and pour them in. While I measured out the 2 tbsp of oil. Then we turned it on and waited for the popcorn to pop. 

We didn't talk about the measurements, but this would have made a great teaching moment. 

Once the popcorn started popping the kids started getting very excited. They knew it was getting close to being done. Depending on the age of the child, this would be a great idea for a science experiment. You can explain what happens when the kernels pop. The fact that the water that is trapped in the kernel becomes steam and explodes in the kernel causing it to expand, creating popcorn. This is a harder concept for a 2 and 3 year old to understand, but older children may be able to understand this idea. 

Of course, if you begin cooking, be safe with kids. We used our learning tower (a similar one is linked here Learning Tower*) for the kids to stand on to stay a safe distance. We also talked about how the popper was hot, so we couldn't touch it once I turned it on. Please use your best judgement and keep you and your children safe. 

Once the popping stopped, we divided up the popcorn and had a picnic in the living room. 

Children can learn math skills, cooking skills, spatial awareness, and scientific theories and laws. 

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