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*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.
Launch your homeschool science lessons straight into the cosmos with this fun, hands-on astronomy-themed star bread! Perfect for a cell biology unit study, this creative recipe turns baking into a captivating way to explore the life processes of microorganisms. Younger kids will love helping to twist and shape the celestial dough pattern, while older students connect the recipe directly to what they are learning about cell parts and their functions—like how yeast cells use metabolism, ribosomes, and cell membranes to make the dough rise. Gather your crew, fire up your kitchen ovens, and transform a simple baking project into an unforgettable, out-of-this-world learning adventure!
Full Lesson Plans
Measurement in Baking & Cooking STEM Activity
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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
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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
- rolling pin
- sharp knife or pizza cutter
- baking sheet
- baking paper
- pastry brush or spoon
- aluminum foil
- oven mitts
- cooling rack
- fine-mesh sieve or powdered sugar shaker
- serving plate
Ingredients:
- 2 T unsalted butter, melted (28 grams)
- ⅔ c water (150 grams)
- ½ c sourdough starter (100 grams)
- 1 large egg (50 grams)
- 2 T sugar (24 grams)
- 2½ c all-purpose flour (325 grams)
- 1½ t salt (8 grams)
- 5 T blackberry jam or preserves (100 grams)
- ½ c powdered sugar (60 grams)
How To:
Sourdough Star Bread Recipe:
- Combine the melted butter, water, sourdough starter, egg, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the flour and salt. Mix until combined.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 45 minutes.
- Complete one set of stretch and folds.
- Cover the dough and let it rise for 6–8 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and shape each portion into a ball.
- Let the dough balls rest for 5 minutes.
- Roll each dough ball into a 10-inch circle on a floured surface.
- Place the first dough circle on baking paper and spread a thin layer of blackberry jam over it.
- Add the second dough circle and spread it with another thin layer of jam.
- Repeat with the third dough circle and another layer of jam.
- Place the fourth dough circle on top without adding jam above it. Do not place jam beneath the bottom layer.
- Place a small cup or round cutter in the center as a guide, without cutting through the middle.
- Make 16 cuts from the outside edge toward the center, stopping about ¾ of the way in.
- Begin by making 4 evenly spaced cuts. Add 4 more cuts between them, then cut halfway between each section again to create 16 strips.
- Take 2 adjacent strips and twist them away from each other 3 times.
- Pinch the ends of the twisted strips together to seal them and form one point of the star.
- Repeat with the remaining strips to create an 8-point star.
- Transfer the bread and baking paper to a baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes, or until baked through.
- Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil if it begins browning too quickly.
- Let the bread cool.
- Dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.
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.
- Astronomy: Explore related themed activities here.
- May Themes: Discover our May 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.
