Storytime Chefs: Space themed storybooks and recipes for the Summer break

It's July (just!) and time for this month's Storytime Chef post. This month, we are embracing the them of SPACE, because what child doesn't love recipes (and stories) featuring rockets, space travel, aliens and intergalactic travel?

For those of you who are new to Storytime Chefs, welcome to our virtual reading and cookery club for families with children aged 2-10 years.

COMPETITION TIME:

We are celebrating our second month of book and cookery activities with a (UK) give away of a personalised copy of The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home (with your child's name) by Wonderbly. 

Just comment and share this post on Facebook, or tag us on Instagram with your space inspired baking (#organiccookeryschool #storytimechefs). See bottom of post for full terms an

The best children's books about Space

Do your kids love the topic of Space? This year both my Reception aged daughter (aged 5) and my 12 year old studied space and the solar system at school. It was great to hear them comparing facts, and I think Emily was a little jealous of how much art and craft her little sister got to do during their studies.

Emily loves to read with her little sister, so we dug out some of our favourite Key Stage 1 story and poetry books with a space theme. The following are all fiction, as it's pretty easy to find non-fiction children's books about space.

We also dusted out some quick recipes/food activities The Organic Cookery School had put together for a month of Rocket Science themed cookery activities at the Royal Horticultural Society’s gardens at Wisley.

Note: As we didn’t have access to any ovens at Wisley, they were all on a no cook / assembling /decorating vibe, but still fun to recreate when the kids have friends over for a playdate.

I’ve included the worksheets, which have recipes and instructions for giant gingerbread planets and astronauts, shooting star kebabs, rocket sandwiches, cake truffle planets and peppermints stars in the documents section of our Facebook group.

You can access those recipes and worksheets for free by joining our friendly Storytime Chefs Facebook group  before the end of August 2018. Once you've joined check the announcements or look in the documents section of the group.

But I also recommend making a bowl of alien soup (aka our Summertime soup) and deep space rock cakes (aka cheesy broccoli and quinoa bites), before snuggling down to a magical deep space story from the following list.

Find instructions how to make our Cake Truffle Planets in the Storytime Chef FB group

Fifteen teacher (and child) approved books inspired by the theme of Space

The First Hippo on the Moon by David Walliams    

Fun illustrations from best selling author David Walliams,  suitable from 3+

Eeek! The Runaway Alien by Karen Inglis 

Suggested age 6+ (also great for football fans)

Space Boy by Leo Landry In this charming picture book, the allure of space travel and the longing for peace and quiet entice a young boy to take his space rocket to the Moon for a picnic. Suggested age 4-7 years
 
Aliens Love Underpants and Aliens in Underpants Save the World by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort   "Aliens love underpants, in every shape and size, But there are no underpants in space, so here's a big surprise...." Great books for joining in (and giggles) Suggested age range 3-6 years.

Mousetronaut by Mark Kelly – written by a real astronaut! Astronaut Mark Kelly flew with "mice-tronauts" on his first spaceflight aboard space shuttle Endeavourin 2001. Mousetronaut tells the story of a small mouse that wants nothing more than to travel to outer space. The little mouse works as hard as the bigger mice to show readiness for the mission . . . and is chosen for the flight! While in space, the astronauts are busy with their mission when disaster strikes--and only the smallest member of the crew can save the day. Suggested age range 4-7 years

The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers  By best selling author Oliver Jeffers, suggested age 3-5 years
Alien Tea on the Planet Zum Zee by Tony Mitton   If you take your rocket to the outer edge of space, you'll come across a funny little alien place. The alien peoples call it Planet Zum-Zee, and they're meeting here today for a special picnic tea. Another great read-aloud book for 3 years plus

Coyote and the Sky: How the Sun, Moon and Stars Began by Emmett ‘Schkeme’ Garcia , a traditional retelling of how the sun, moon and stars began, for younger readers. 
Letters from an Alien School Boy by Ros Asquith

The Planet Gods by Jacqueline Mitton

Dr. Xargles Book of Earthlets by Jeanne Willis

Space Poems chosen by Gaby Morgan

We’re Off to Look for Aliens by Colin McNaughton

On the Moon by Anna Milbourne

Link to books on Amazon in books (or check your local library).

By shopping with the links we have provided, we may earn a small referral commission which goes straight back into our community outreach projects for vulnerable families It also doesn’t cost you anymore. Thank you!

Join the Storytime Chef Fun – Here’s How:

1. Please leave a comment below, saying that you’re joining Storytime Chefs this month and reading The Rainbow Fish.
2. Join our friendly Facebook group STORYTIME CHEFS for shopping lists and bonus activities covering art, crafts, science and links with the curriculum.
3. Get a copy of the book using the links above or from your local library.
4. Read the book together…
5. ….then bring the kids into the kitchen and cook our featured recipes together.
6. I would LOVE for you to share your photos on Instagram using the hashtag: #StorytimeChefs and please tag me too (@organiccookeryschool). 
7. Tune in next month for  another book-themed recipe.

Follow and tag us on Instagram to enter #organiccookeryschool #storytimechefs

Ways to enter our competition:

1) Comment and share this post on FB

2) Follow and tag us on Instagram with some parent/child space themed baking

3) Share your space themed cookery activities with us in our FB group.

4) Get £5 off any Wonderbly book using this link.

Any of the above actions (completed by 31/8) guarantees an entry in the competition draw (UK residents only).  One winner will be chosen by random and contacted by social media on 1st September 2018. the chosen winner will have 7 days to respond, and will need to supply the name, gender , hair colour and address of the child the book will be personalised for. For further details visit Wonderby and select 'The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home for information on personalisation details required. These details will not be shared with any other parties.

Storytime Chefs: Rainbow Fish Digestive Biscuits

makes 10-12 biscuits

Here’s the second recipe in Rainbow Fish themed Storytime Chefs series, our monthly virtual cookery and book club for families with children aged 2-10 years.

Read more about this month's book choice here, or try our delicious veg pack Rainbow Fish Pizzas.

Ingredients

150g wholemal flour

150g fine or medium oatmeal

50g dark muscovado or soft brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon bicarb of soda

125g butter, melted

2-3 tablepoons milk or one egg (to bind)

a pinch of salt

Optional: icing or melted chocolate, fruity decorations (eg snipped fruit leather) or naturally coloured chocolate beans

Method

1) Weigh dry ingredients into a mixing bowl (flour, oatmeal, suagr, bicarb and salt) NOTE if you can't find oatmeal, make your own by blitzing porridge oats in a food processor/Nutribullet

2)Add melted butter and stir well with a wooden spoon or silicone spoon

3) Add egg or milk to bind. The mixture should start to clump together in a crumbly dough

4) Place in a food bag and chill for 20 mins in fridge.

5) Lightly dust a worksurface and rolling pin and roll half of the mixture to about 8mm thick.

6) Cut out cookies and carefully transfer onto a baking sheet.

7) Repeat with second half of dough.

8) Reroll scraps until all your dough is used.

9) Prick with a fork and bake for approx 15 mins until golden brown.

10) Leave to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

11) When completely cool, decorate.

equipment:

You will need:

• an apron and clean hands
• two baking sheets, lined with greaseproof paper
• one large mixing bowl
• one small bowl to melt butter
• weighing scales
• measuring spoon
• a wooden spoon or silicone mixing spoon
• a fish shaped cookie cutter
• a rolling pin (and optional rolling mat)
• a palette knife or similar to lift biscuits
• a cooling rack
• oven gloves

Ideas for decorating your rainbow fish biscuits:

To ice or not to ice?

It’s pretty impossible to decorate biscuits (and avoid a mini sugar rush) without using some form of icing, chocolate or sweets and whilst this isn't the healthiest of food stuffs, it is part of the magic of this activity for your kids. These biscuits are delicious on their own, and are not overly sweet, so we normally decorate about half and leave the remainder plain.

When it comes to choosing decorating ingredients, we prefer to go as natural as possible, choosing options which don’t contain palm oil, artificial colours and flavours, and are organic where ever possible.

Baking and decorating biscuits/cakes (especially Rainbow Fish ones) isn’t an everyday event  - just like eating birthday cake isn’t an everyday event, which most children understand.

Here are some options (either fruity or chocolatey):

• A little icing, white or naturally coloured (we used these freeze dried fruit powders from Healthy Supplies to colour/flavour ours)

or

• Melted chocolate (milk or white)
• Colourful dried fruit ‘scales’ (eg cranberries, chopped apricots, golden raisins, chopped mango) or snipped up Bear Fruit Yoyos/homemade fruit leather
• Naturally coloured/flavoured ‘Smarties’ or ‘Jelly Tots’ (eg Biona)

Where to get hold of a copy of The Rainbow Fish:

Link to Rainbow Fish on Amazon UK                      Link to Rainbow Fish on Amazon US

Or don’t forget to check your local library.

By shopping with the links we have provided, we may earn a small referral commission which goes straight back into our community outreach projects for vulnerable families It also doesn’t cost you anymore. Thank you!

Storytime Chefs: Recipes inspired by The Rainbow Fish

This month, we launch the first in a new series of cook and learn activities inspired by popular children’s books.

Storytime Chefs is our virtual reading and cookery club for families with children aged 2-10 years, and we are kicking off with a book I’ve shared with many of our community-based family cookery classes  - The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister.

What’s The Rainbow Fish about?

The most beautiful fish in the ocean is asked to share one of his shining scales with a little blue fish, which he refuses. All the other fish in the sea leave him alone, and he wonders why. He goes to the wise octopus for advice, and she tells him to give away his scales. Rainbow Fish reluctantly does so, except for one. In the end, he is less beautiful then he was before, but he has new friends and is now the happiest fish in the sea.

We've put together two beautiful child-approved recipes to make with your children:

Rainbow Fish Pizza and Rainbow Fish Digestive Biscuits

Where to get hold of a copy of The Rainbow Fish:

Link to Rainbow Fish on Amazon UK                      Link to Rainbow Fish on Amazon US

Or don’t forget to check your local library.

By shopping with the links we have provided, we may earn a small referral commission which goes straight back into our community outreach projects for vulnerable families It also doesn’t cost you anymore. Thank you!

Join the Storytime Chef Fun – Here’s How:

1. Please leave a comment below, saying that you’re joining Storytime Chefs this month and reading The Rainbow Fish.
2. Join our friendly Facebook group STORYTIME CHEFS for shopping lists and bonus activities covering art, crafts, science and links with the curriculum.
3. Get a copy of the book using the links above or from your local library.
4. Read the book together…
5. ….then bring the kids into the kitchen and cook our featured recipes together.
6. I would LOVE for you to share your photos on Instagram using the hashtag: #StorytimeChefs and please tag me too (@organiccookeryschool). 
7. Tune in next month for  another book-themed recipe.

Featured Recipes for The Rainbow Fish

Get the Rainbow Fish Pizza recipe here: 

Get the Rainbow Fish Digestive Biscuit recipe here: