*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 for a fun, hands-on kitchen activity that works for your whole homeschool family? This family-style snowflake tortilla lesson plan is designed with two distinct options—choose one or use both together! You can pick the sourdough and cell biology lesson to explore microorganisms, wild yeast, and fermentation, or opt for the baking measurements and conversions lesson to practice different measurement systems, tackle unit conversions, and compare quantities. Whether you want to focus on science or practical math (or seamlessly blend both), grab a stack of tortillas and your kitchen tools to turn a cozy afternoon into an engaging, multi-age lab!
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
- stand mixer with dough hook (optional)
- tea towel
- rolling pin
- skillet
- spatula or tongs
- kitchen scissors
Ingredients:
- 1 c sourdough starter (250 grams)
- ¾ c water (177 grams)
- ¼ c olive oil (56 grams)
- 1½ t salt (8 grams)
- 3 c unbleached all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour (420 grams)
Optional Ingredients:
- Sugar crystals
- Cinnamon sugar
- Peanut butter
- Apple slices
- Banana slices
How To:
Sourdough Tortilla Recipe:
- Add the sourdough starter, water, olive oil, salt, and flour to a mixing bowl.
- Knead for 3 minutes in a mixer or 5 minutes by hand.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a damp tea towel.
- Let the dough rest for 12–24 hours.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece as thin as possible without ripping it.
- Cook each tortilla in a greased, heated skillet for 1 minute on each side.
Tortilla Snowflakes:
- Start with a soft tortilla.
- Fold the tortilla in half.
- Fold it in half again.
- Fold it once more to create a narrow triangle for a more detailed snowflake.
- Use kitchen scissors to cut small shapes along the folded edges.
- Unfold the tortilla to reveal the snowflake.
- Decorate with sugar crystals or cinnamon sugar, or spread with peanut butter and top with apple or banana slices.
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.
- Winter: Explore related themed activities here.
- January Themes: Discover our January 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.
Leave a Reply