Homeschool Review: Thinking Tree Journal Cookbook

There is a consistent format to each recipe, as shown in the photos. There is an ingredient page with a word list and a picture list of items to gather. I love the pictures because this allows my non-reading preschooler to join in. Next up is a similar page listing all the tools (i.e., spoon, bowl, oven mitts, etc.) needed for the recipe, followed by an instruction page with pictures. It’s good to have your kiddo read through the instructions first so the he/she knows a basic flow of the process. This is one reason why I like the pre-selected recipes. This allows the publisher to include the pictures for the ingredients, tools and steps.

I really love the “My Recipe Checklist” that comes next, especially if you have self-directed little chefs. One of the items on the list is “Do I have permission?”  I can just imagine my little ones heading to the kitchen, gathering all they need and taking off without me! I can usually hear them, but you never know 🙂 . This book is so easy for them to use that I can see them needing very little of my assistance, except perhaps reaching things and using the oven.

What sets this book apart from other kid cookbooks and makes it more of a keepsake journal are the pages that follow the main recipe pages. There is a place for kids to draw a picture (either of the finished product or a fun memory during the baking) and jot down thoughts, sort of like a food critic. How fun! These activities are consistent for all of the recipes in the book. This consistent format is nice because kids do really enjoy routine.

However, with each recipe there is one additional activity page that varies. These pages include simple Bible application with journaling/Q&A, word scramble, mazes, create-your-own recipes, TV watch guide for cooking shows and so on. I was delighted to find the variety of activities mixed in with the predictable format. I can’t wait to see what recipes my son creates and what new words he’ll choose to jot down from his favorite cooking shows. If you’d like to see all the extra activity pages, check out my video review where I flip through all of them!

One extra little section in the back of the book provides a substitution guide. This is so handy, considering I don’t always have the exact ingredients listed. There are also considerations for food allergies/alternative diets in the substitutions list. They really thought of everything!

We can wait to do all these recipes! I wasn’t fast enough to snap some picks of our first finished product, banana bread. Yum, yum! Stop back to see random postings of our other yummy treats!