Cooking with Kids: Orange Juice


cut oranges

 

Ok, so it is not cooking, per se, but we did get into the kitchen and do cooking-type things.  We made orange juice for breakfast from the abundant supply of oranges I got the other day.

First, we rolled the oranges to get the juice broken up inside the peels.  This was a motor activity that challenged G a little bit.  She has the concept of throwing, but not rolling.  So we worked a little bit on this.Orange juice

Then, we counted the oranges (same amount we started with – we didn’t lose any along the way!).

 

Then, I cut the oranges in half.  I said the same thing each time: “I have one orange.  I cut it in half and now I have 2!”  I would show her the whole one, then the cut one each time.  We lined them up on the cutting board (and counted them again).Orange juice 2

 

orange juice 4

 

Next, we pushed the oranges down on the juicer and watched the juice collect in the cup below.  This turned into me doing and G watching while she ate oranges.  During the process, she learned what bitter is – the peel.

orange bitter

Once we had all the orange halves juiced, we strained the juice into an orange cup with an orange straw and enjoyed!orange juice 5

Some of the things we worked on while doing this basic activity:

  • Counting
  • Vocabulary: rolling, half, bitter, peel, pulp.
  • Motor skills: rolling and pushing down (and eating an unpeeled orange slice – if that counts).
  • Cause and effect: pushing the orange down on the juicer caused the volume of the juice in the cup to rise.
  • Sequence of events: As we did the activity, I talked G through each aspect and when we were done we reviewed the steps in order.

 

Lots to learn in the kitchen with such a simple project!  Fun!

 


This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Great post, Leah! What a fun way to spend time together and incorporate learning. I love spending time with my son in the kitchen (he’s 32 months) but we’ve never made orange juice. We’ll have to try it!

    1. ussleah

      Thank you for the encouragement and for leaving a comment! Isn’t it fun to see them make connections in the kitchen? G just got a kitchen for Christmas and she loves pretending to make different foods!

  2. Sara Nicholas

    What fun memories you are going to have!! I just love all the pictures too. So sweet.

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