Squishy Cookies, Pacie Kid, and Dip Girl

Some days I get ambitious and we do some "fun", yet educational activities. Many times, the activity directly relates to cooking or baking so the kids can practice measuring and using fractions.











This week we made, what I like to call, squishy cookies. You put all the ingredients in a LARGE bowl (the bigger the better for kids). Then you let the kids take turns squishing all the ingredients together. The longer they squish and "play" the better the dough mixes. I found the original recipe and idea for this activity in "The Preschooler's Busy Book" by Trish Kuffner. I have modified the recipe to add some more flavor and texture to our cookies. Here is the recipe I used:


Squishy Cookies

3 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup to 1 1/2 cups softened butter
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chocolate or butterscotch chips (stir in after the kids are finished squishing the dough.)


When done squishing and stirring in the chocolate chips, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Bake these on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12-13 minutes.


I used aluminum foil covered cookie sheets. I have found that it is easier to remove the whole sheet of aluminum foil (hot cookies and all). I let the cookies cool for a minute or two before letting the kids take them off by themselves. After a minute or two the foil is cool enough that you don't need to worry about the children burning their arms on the hot cookie sheet. It also makes for a much easier clean up, which I make the kids do. Isn't clean-up just as much a part of cooking as making the mess?

The kids had a really good time and it was something they all could do together. They especially liked putting on the aprons and acting like real chefs. Surprisingly enough, they enjoyed measuring things out and putting them in the bowl more than squishing the dough.


Pacie kid
Out of all of our six kids, we've never had a pacie kid...until now. Our little man, Elias, seems to want to do nothing but suckle all morning and most of the evening. Even when I know he isn't hungry he just wants to nurse...and he usually does until he makes himself sick and spits up for a long time afterwards.


At the grocery store the other night, I knew he wasn't hungry, but he kept fussing as I was finishing up the shopping. The only thing that satisfied Elias was to let him suck on my finger. I kept thinking, how clean can my finger really be, even though I had just washed them? I broke down and bought him a pacifier, fully expecting that he would spit it out like all the previous had done. To my surprise he took it and was quiet all the way home from the store until I could nurse him to sleep. So, I guess we have a pacie kid on our hands.

Dip Girl

Here is the latest adventures of our "Dip Girl". R is constantly getting into sour cream, veggie dip, chip dip, ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, etc. I know I've posted previously the pictures of her on the table covered in sour cream or dip of some sort or another. Here is yet another example of her obsession. This time she finished off the veggie dip that I had in a sour cream container. By the time I saw her with the spoon in hand, it was too late. This too shall pass. This too shall pass. Or at least, I hope it does and soon.