One of my favorite activities to do with my kids is to cook with them. Whether we are whipping up sandwiches for lunch, a cake for someone's birthday or even tackling something more elaborate like meatballs and sauce, we always have fun -- lots of laughs and lots of made memories.
The nicest part about cooking together as a family is that it is pretty inexpensive as long as you choose the right ingredients and do a little advance planning. Cookbook author and owner of Batter Up Kids cooking school Barbara Beery agrees. She recently teamed up with Kellogg's Rice Krispies to make some amazing recipes that parents and kids can make together in the kitchen. Some of my favorites include Itsy Bitsy Fruit Pies, On-a-Stick Chicken Strips and Mini Meatball Sliders.
To make your time in the kitchen more fun has a number of great suggestions, including giving your child a choice of what to make, making a special family recipe, creating recipe cards together and sharing your creation with friends and neighbors.
Do you cook with your preschooler? What is your favorite thing to prepare?
For more on cheap fun, visit the All About Parenting Blog Carnival for August, hosted by Jennifer Wolf, the About.com Guide to single parenting. If you're blogging on a topic related to inexpensive activities, please feel free to submit a carnival entry to Jennifer.
What's your best "cheap fun" idea?
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