*Transparency Note: Some links below are affiliate links. I only recommend what we personally use and love in our home. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
*Safety Check-In: The activities in this curriculum are intended for family-style use under direct adult supervision. Because every family’s home environment and children are unique, please use your best judgment to ensure a safe experience. Always verify materials—such as plants, food items, or chemicals—for safety and allergies before use, and keep heat sources, tools, and small parts under close adult watch. You know your children best; please adapt these activities as needed to ensure they are age-appropriate and safe for your specific family.
Looking to bring a touch of creativity and culinary science to your homeschool routine? This family-style painted sourdough boule offers a wonderful hands-on baking project that blends art and STEM. Toddlers and younger kids can join in the fun by painting and decorating the dough canvas, while older elementary and middle school students dive deeper into sourdough cell biology, wild fermentation, and precise baking measurements. Gather your supplies and turn your kitchen into a vibrant bakery and science lab for the whole family.
Full Lesson Plans
Measurement in Baking & Cooking STEM Activity
Add This Lesson To Your Homeschool ➚
(Secure payment via PayPal. Credit cards accepted.)
An activity-based learning extension exploring:
- baking & cooking with volume vs. weight
- american vs. metric measurement systems
- simple conversions & baking accuracy
- tie-ins to baking activities
Yearlong Sourdough Science Curriculum Bundle
Add This Lesson To Your Homeschool ➚
(Secure payment via PayPal. Credit cards accepted.)
An activity-based learning extension exploring:
- cells & their processes
- prokaryotic vs eukaryotic cells; types & examples
- cell parts, organelles, & parts of a nucleus
- cell parts related to sourdough
- tie-ins to the activity
In addition to the typical lesson plan, this 12 month inclusive plan includes sourdough tips, tricks, and notes, basic sourdough baking vocabulary explanations, themed plating ideas, and cozy recipe cards.
One Full Unit Study Lesson + 12 Monthly Themed Recipes
Begin any month, and choose the rhythm that fits your family best:
- The Year-Long Journey: Take it slow by spreading the core lesson out across the entire year, pairing it step-by-step with your monthly bakes.
- The Monthly Connection: Introduce the main concepts right away, then use each monthly recipe as a gentle review to help those big ideas settle in.
- The All-In-One Kickoff: Start with the complete core lesson in month one, and enjoy themed recipes as fun, ongoing practice all year.
Click here to see what’s included and how family-style learning works with our lessons.
What’s Included
Our curriculum is designed to foster genuine critical thinking through intentional lesson layout: a foundational introduction to core concepts, hands-on activities and play-based learning that puts ideas into practice, and a reflective discussion to synthesize the learning. Depending on the subject, features may include:
- direct connections to the featured activities
- new information & concepts
- visual charts
- practice pages with answer keys
- observation and design pages
- naturally integrated vocabulary
- warm and memorable images
- scaffolded learning
- connections to living books & stories
- higher-order discussion questions
- immersive and play-based learning experiences
- social studies units often include positive affirmations combined with play-based bilateral stimulation
Family Style Learning
Our activities are intentionally designed to grow with your family. Lessons are designed for elementary and middle school students, but toddlers and preschoolers thrive using the exact same setups, learning through play. Because learning goals develop in complexity over time, you get more bang for your buck—utilizing the exact same supplies across all ages and through many years.
How activities are used by age:
- Infancy & Toddlerhood: Focuses on hands-on sensory and play-based exploration (touching, feeling, experiencing).
- Preschool & Pre-K: Develops language, basic concepts, and descriptive vocabulary using the same activities.
- Elementary & Beyond: Expands play and sensory based activities into formal lessons with deep conceptual understanding.
Through direct sensory experience, younger children will naturally absorb basic vocabulary and be exposed to advanced language and learning alongside their older siblings.
Materials & How To
Click here for materials and setup directions.
Materials:
General:
- kitchen scale (digital, measuring lbs, ounces, and grams)
- measuring cups & spoons (including a glass measuring cup, showing ounces & cups)
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Mixing Spoon or Dough Whisk
- Damp Tea Towel
- Clean Counter or Work Surface
- Baking Paper
- Bread Lame or Sharp Knife
- Dutch Oven with Lid
- Small Bowls
- Spoons for Mixing Colors
- Small Food-Safe Paintbrushes
- Oven Mitts
- Cooling Rack
Dough Ingredients:
- 1 c sourdough starter (240 grams)
- 1¾ c water (410 grams)
- 4 c + 2 T bread flour (515 grams)
- 2 t salt (12 grams)
Bread Paint Ingredients:
- 5 T flour (42 grams)
- 5 T water (78 grams)
- gel food coloring
How To:
Painted Sourdough Bread Recipe:
- Transfer it to a cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing.
- Combine the sourdough starter and water in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the bread flour and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
- Stretch and fold the dough until a smooth ball forms.
- Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Let the dough rest for 2 hours, completing 4 sets of stretch and folds 15 minutes apart.
- Cover and let the dough continue resting until it has doubled in size.
- Place the Dutch oven inside the oven and preheat to 450°F.
- Combine the flour and water for the bread paint.
- Divide the mixture among several small bowls.
- Add the desired food coloring to each bowl and mix well.
- Turn the dough onto baking paper.
- Paint the desired design onto the dough using small food-safe paintbrushes.
- Score the dough with a bread lame or sharp knife.
- Carefully place the dough and baking paper into the hot Dutch oven.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid and bake for another 10–15 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the oven and Dutch oven.
Find our full lesson plans above for more guidance and depth of learning.
Additional Learning Resources
Click here for additional resources, activities, & lessons.
More Lessons & Activities
- Full Lesson Plans: Browse our available full homeschool lesson plans in every collection.
- The Arts & Invention: Explore related themed activities here.
- August Themes: Discover our August page for more activities in this collection.
- Themed Learning Extras: immerse yourself in our curated resources through music & meditations, read alouds & picture books, movie night picks, and additional free curriculum.
- The Year Ahead: Visit our Monthly Collections to get ready for upcoming learning.
