Learning Naturally With A Cupcake Stand

Last Saturday was the first TLB Book Bash – a mini book fair and community meet-up in one. It was a fun event with our fellow children’s book hoarders oohing and aahing over their great finds!

It was also a day that my five-year-old Little T looked forward to. She declared over a month ago that she was going to sell something, just like her Mama, during TLB’s next event. I would like to share with you how rich a learning experience it was for her and our family.

 

Reading and Math in Baking

Little T came up with the idea of selling cupcakes because she really enjoys baking. We started baking together when she was around two years old, and we’ve never really progressed beyond sugar cookies. Recently, I found a very easy, eggless chocolate cupcake recipe. We made a successful batch together. After a few days, she said she wanted to do it on her own. So I let her. I copied the recipe on a piece of paper for her to read and laid out the ingredients on the kitchen counter. She  measured, poured, and mixed all by herself. I worked on my laptop far away until she called me to put the cupcake trays in the oven. That was her practice.

“Disaster” struck when she was baking the cupcakes for the Book Bash. She came to me yelling, “I put 1 cup of cocoa powder instead of one-half!” She is just five after all, and her two-year old brother was “helping” her. This mistake became a lesson on doubling a recipe. Being her assistant, I labored over pouring the batter into the teeny tiny cups. At last, everything was ready.

 

“Socialization”

“Socialization” is one of the questions people always ask about homeschooling. After reading about it and talking to a lot of other homeschooling parents, I have become a bit more confident about  this “issue.” For me, it’s all about finding opportunities to meet  people of all shapes, sizes, and ages. The Cupcake Stand was such an opportunity. Little T and Little Sir sat by their little table and waited for people to come over. I helped them by announcing their endeavor over my loud speaker 😉

 

Multiplication in Selling

Little T decided to sell her cupcakes for five pesos. It was a random number that was not based on cost of ingredients, labor, and other “business” expenses. She then started telling herself… “if someone buys two cupcakes, then it will be ten pesos, but if it’s three cupcakes, then it’s 15 pesos.” I was in awe that she just figured out the concept of multiplication on her own. (I was still in addition, you know.) I knew then that she would be ready to compute a sale and the needed change. And she was. She proudly told anyone who would listen that one of her “customers” asked for two cupcakes, “so it was ten pesos, but the lady gave me 20 pesos, so I gave her 10 pesos for change.”

 

Confidence

My daughter has gained self-confidence in this experience, and is now talking about joining all of our other events. She has thought of other ways to improve her wares (with sprinkles or mini chocolate chips) and advertise herself better (make a sign) too. I love witnessing how she’s blossoming right before my eyes. Naturally slow to warm up to people, selling her cupcakes let her get over herself a bit more quickly.

 

I’ve always wondered about how I could introduce my kids to work and money in a fun way. Saying yes to the opportunity has unlocked this rich learning experience for all of us. And I can’t wait to sell something side by side with Little T again.

If you think you can’t do this homeschooling thing, think again. You can homeschool! I invite you to our homeschooling summit next month to be informed, inspired, and empowered.

 

Make magic!