Saturday, August 27, 2011

Behold... The S'more Cookie Bar!

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Okay, I will apologize in advance. This has nothing to do with teaching, but it has everything to do with kids... and adults who love delicious treats. Plus, if you double the recipe to fit into a 13x9 pan, you will get a nifty math lesson out of it. 

This is the BEST summer cookie treat EVER! Heck, make them in the winter too for all I care. I found this recipe at Baking Bites and made it immediately. It got the A-OK from my boys who were all about helping with the assembly. These cookie bars are delicious and gooey when they are warm and chewy good the next day. They will take you back to summer camp and leave you asking for s'more.


S’More Cookie Bars
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs*
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized Hershey bars (as in GIANT movie size)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars
Makes 16 cookie bars.

*Note: 3/4 cup crumbs is approx 7 full-sized graham cracker sheets, whizzed in the food processor until fine.

Now you're talking.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Mega-Fun Math!

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So, I took my kids to the local science museum the other day. We decided to visit the gift shop and (as usual) I went straight for the books. That's where I found the BEST math book EVER...

 
By Michael S. Schiro

This book is chock full of games and puzzles that kids will love! It's perfect for classroom and home use. The cooperative learning games are creative and fun. The best part is, the materials you need can be found around the house.  

Part One is divided into the following categories:

Paper and Pencil Games
Egg Carton Games
Cube Games
Tongue Depressor Games
Card Games
Board Games
PE Games


Part Two contains hands-on problem solving puzzles that reinforce basic concepts while developing mathematical reasoning skills.

The ideas in this book are perfect for grades 1-6. If you have a child who is having a hard time with multiplication, play a game of Operation Hopscotch or Call It. Need to entertain the kids on a road trip? Whip up a game of Number-Tac-Toe or Hangmath. The descriptions in this book are easy to follow and the nifty chart at the front makes it easy to find the concepts/grade-levels you are looking for:

I've had fun playing Mega-Fun Math Games with my kids and I can't wait to share them with my students in the fall!