A Little Chef Birthday Party

I recently had the honor of teaching ten little ones all around the age of 4 how to bake tiny pies! My good friend Kelly has the most adorable twins and for their birthday they requested a cooking birthday party. Kelly texted me if I knew anyone who could come and teach the littles, since she thought I'd be too busy. I quickly told her I'd want no one to do it, but me and we set out to plan the cutest party ever!

I decided that my November We Cook kit - Tiny Pies would be the perfect little treat the children could bake up. I brought a We Cook kit for every child, which gave them each the tools they needed to create their pies and tiny boxes for them to take their pies home to share later. Kelly purchased craft aprons that each little got to decorate prior to their voyage within the kitchen. (There also was a bounce house which wasn't chef themed, but necessary for a child's birthday party!) I set up ten individual prep stations around a table so each child could work with their own items. I also had them work with store bought dough instead of making our own from scratch, to save on time and curb meltdowns. Too many cooks in the kitchen can be a bit scary, but all the littles were so intrigued and determined to create their own pies.

I truly believe the kitchen is such a great backdrop for learning. I worked in tiny teaching moments with the children such as; why we use lemons with apples and where cinnamon comes from. I gave them each a cinnamon stick and had them smell it, then I showed them the cinnamon powder. Some littles thought it was too spicy do they decided to omit that ingredient from their creation. I thought that was great! It was really something to see their brains working, creating and enjoying themselves. You can see little Stella's creation down below, she balled up pie dough and stuck one apple slice on top. It was the cutest, and actually pretty tasty. When you let your little lead, magic happens. With ten littles, I did have to have a few parents step in which I adored. One of the main reasons I created my We Cook kits was to foster parent-child involvement within the kitchen. Seeing it first hand like that was something really special.

You know me, I am quick to get emotional. After losing my son Ryan I was convinced I'd never have the desire to be around children ever again, simply because it hurt so badly. I separated myself from children as I tried to heal. I never thought I'd be here. My anger or grief I thought would keep me away from ever enjoying life alongside little ones similar to my son. But, here I am. Suddenly immersed with all things child and helping them learn and develop a love for cooking. It is my dream! Truthfully, I feel Ryan so fiercely close during it all. It is so amazing to see myself back then and now. Time is a funny thing and it always goes by so quickly. Though time is just what I needed to be re-born into the mother I am today.

I had the most fun celebrating at this birthday party! Thank you sweet Kelly for having me!

We are using my November We Cook kit in the photos below ...

Photos by Beauty In The Bite