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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.
Looking to bake something comforting that brings everyone together in the kitchen? This family-style community chocolate chip cookie recipe pairs wonderfully with a favorite read-aloud book while offering a fun, hands-on kitchen project. Toddlers and younger kids can join in the fun by measuring and mixing ingredients, while older elementary and middle school students dive deeper into the science of sourdough cells. Gather your supplies and turn your kitchen into a cozy bakery for the whole family to enjoy.
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 bowls
- mixing spoon or rubber spatula
- baking sheet
- baking paper
- cookie scoop or spoon
- plastic wrap or container with lid
- oven mitts
- cooling rack
- serving plate or gift bags
Creaming Ingredients:
- 8 T unsalted butter, cold (113 grams)
- ½ c light brown sugar (100 grams)
- ½ c white sugar (100 grams)
- 1½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips (340 grams)
Dry Ingredients:
- ¾ c + 1 t all-purpose flour (95 grams)
- 1 c + 1 t bread flour (125 grams)
- 1 t salt (5 grams)
- ¼ t baking soda (1 gram)
- ½ t baking powder (2 grams)
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 large egg (about 50 grams)
- ½ c sourdough discard (100 grams)
- 1 t vanilla extract (5 grams)
How To:
Community Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe:
- Stir together the cold butter, light brown sugar, and white sugar until the mixture has a crumbly texture.
- Add the chocolate chips after the crumbly texture has formed.
- In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, bread flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and stir until crumbly and fully incorporated.
- In another bowl, combine the egg, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the cookie mixture and mix well.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal balls.
- Place the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 15–17 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.
Serving Presentation:
Share them with friends, family, or neighbors as a community-themed treat. Arrange the cookies on a serving plate, or place them in small gift bags.
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.
- All About Me, My Family, & My Community: Explore related themed activities here.
- September Themes: Discover our September 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.
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