Yummy Pancakes

Mix a pancake, stir a pancake,
Pop it in a pan.
Fry a pancake, toss a pancake,
Catch it if you can.

Do you celebrate Pancake Tuesday in your house? We definitely do, and each year our pancakes become bigger and the toppings more elaborate.Each year I read a couple of my favourite "Pancake" themed books to the boys before we get busy in the kitchen.

Mr. Wolf fancies some tasty pancakes, but he doesn't know how to make them and has trouble reading the Wolf It Down Recipe Book. Asking his neighbors is no use—Chicken Little, Wee Willy Winkle, the Gingerbread Man, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Three Little Pigs all nastily refuse. Poor Mr. Wolf has to work it out all by himself. I LOVE this book, along with the rest of

Jan Fearnley's and look forward to reading it to the boys on Pancake Tuesday each year. Here is our pancake recipe:

Ingredients

115g plain flour,

pinch of salt,

1 large egg (beaten),

1 tbsp melted butter or sunflower oil,

300ml milk,

butter or oil for frying

Method

1.Sift flour and salt into a bowl,make a well in the centre,add the egg and half the milk.

2.Beat the ingredients together,then whisk in the remaining milk along with the melted butter

or oil.

3.Heat a little oil in a frying pan, pour in enough batter to to evenly cover the base.

4.Cook for about 1 minute, toss the pancake over and cook the other side until golden.

5.Top with sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.

6. You can try many different topping, maple syrup,chocolate and whipped cream or even try some

savoury ones too!

Get out all of the measuring spoons, cups, and materials you will need in advance, and then show your child how to measure the ingredients to make pancake batter. While measuring, make comparisons between one cup and 1/4 cup, or estimate how much a teaspoon is - and then measure it to see if you guessed correctly. Invite your child to feel, smell, and taste the individual ingredients -- like flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, etc. Examining the various colours and textures teaches useful science skills. Count and add as you put the appropriate number of tablespoons or cups in the batter. These activities develop the foundation necessary to learn more complex math skills

Don't just eat pancakes this year, try some of these fun Pancake Activities and Crafts

• Give each member of the family a frypan/plastic plate and place a pancake on it. Set the microwave for one minute and see how many times each person can flip their pancake!
• Set a frypan on the floor/on the grass and from a distance see how many of the five pancakes each family member can toss into the pan!
• Download these free alphabet Pancakes Cards. Laminate and cut out and play some letter recognition games. www.sparklebox.co.uk/topic/fest/pancake/html
• Pancake Finger Paint
  Put some plain pancake batter on a paper or plastic plate. Add a drop of red food coloring and let your child mix it into the batter with his/her fingers. Make fun designs in the batter. Add a drop of yellow food colour or blue food colour. What colour does the batter turn? This is a great way to introduce primary colors and how combining them makes other colours. Talk about how the batter feels - is it cold, squishy, smooth? Add some syrup to the mix and see if the texture changes - is it sticky? Don't forget to remind the kids that this batter is a science and art experiment - it's not for eating!
• Fill a squirt bottle with some watered down pancake mix and let your child squirt some letter "P"s for Pancake on a large piece of paper. If your child's fine motor skills are still developing in the skill of using a squirt bottle, give them a paint brush and you could pre-write letter Ps and let them trace over.

If you think you can't have pancakes because you have allergies to dairy, think again! http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/pancakeswaffles/DairyFree_Pancakes_Crepes_Waffles_French_Toast_Recipes.htm