By Shoug Alsalamah
There is nothing we love more than a child with a hobby. Ten-year-old Lamar and 5-year-old Yara not only fit that bill, but have managed to take their hobby to a whole other level.
Experienced bakers, the girls decided to channel their passion into, well, a literal channel by helping other children learn along with them on YouTube. And this reporter won’t lie, we learned a lot as adults too.
1. How did you start?
Lamar: In America I studied fractions in math and I was having a little trouble with it, so my mom told me in baking they use fractions so I started to bake and I became in love with it ever since! From that I wanted to show and teach other kids how to bake and tell them cool tips in my videos.
Yara: I started baking with the help of my sister Lamar because when she would bake she told me to come and be her helper.
2. Who inspired you to learn cooking?
Lamar: My mom and when I was little I loved to watch her baking and then I fell in love with cooking shows on Food Network and Fatafeet.
Yara: My mom and my sister Lamar.
3. What’s your favorite dish? Why?
Lamar: Soufflé because it’s delicious and it only needs a few ingredients.
Yara: Chocolate cake because it’s delicious.
As you can see both of us love chocolate!
4. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Lamar: I haven’t decided because I’ve tried lots of things like baking and pottery that can lead to my future career but I might discover something I love even more later, you never know.
Yara: I want to be a baker when I grow up.
5. Who cooks better, your mother or your father?
Lamar and Yara: Our mother and grandma.
6. What do you do in your spare time?
Lamar: Baking of course, pottery and swimming.
Yara: Baking, painting, and playing with my dolls.
Got inspired by Lamar and Yara? Start making learning fun for your kiddos! Here’s how…
Bake-ucation
By Sobia Javed
Baking a cake can easily be turned into a fantastic opportunity to allow your child to learn. For most children, if you said; “Hey, let’s learn fractions!” they would turn away in horror. What if, though, you said; “Hey, let’s bake a cake.” Would the response be the same? Highly unlikely, but unbeknownst to your child, he WILL learn about fractions during the cake making process!
Step
1- Begin by looking up a recipe on the Internet.
2- Create a shopping list of ingredients and ask your child to write it out.
3- Take your child shopping and follow their lead in sourcing the ingredients. They may struggle to find some things, but encourage them to ask a staff member for assistance if needed.
4- Tell your child to compare products to ensure you’re getting the best deal, or look at the special offers in store. Also, assist them in keeping a rough running tally of prices of the products they’ve selected so far.
5- Once you’re home and ready to begin, encourage good hygiene practice by having them wash their hands. Assist your child in following the recipe.
6- When the cake is ready, have your child cut it into half, quarters, eighths and make a point of counting the number of pieces. As you eat the cake, you can discuss how much is remaining (we’ve eaten a quarter, so there are three quarters remaining, etc.)
Learning Point
• Computing/Internet usage (You’ve already started the learning aspect of it, and you’re only on step one!)
• Handwriting practice
• Reading (aisle signs)
• Social skills (approaching a staff member and making a query)
• Practice of good manners (saying please/thank you)
• Mental maths
• Discussion about the spread of germs and how it can be prevented.
• Reading practice (reading the recipe)
• Comprehension (understanding what is required from the recipe)
• Measuring, weighing, using scales, converting measurements (maths)
• Time keeping
• Math (fractions)
• Discuss healthy eating and how certain foods should be limited.
• Practice sharing by giving some cake to neighbors.
All this, just from baking a cake. And the best thing? Your child will not even be aware they are learning, and even better – there’s a cake to enjoy afterwards!
