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No-Bake Granola Balls

Making this tasty treat is a fun, delicious way for your child to explore measurement.

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Materials:

• baking sheet
• wax paper
• large mixing bowl
• wooden spoon

Materials:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal
• 1 cup granola cereal
• 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Talk about the recipe with your child. Gather all the ingredients (not yet measured) and talk about how much you're going to need of each. Line the baking sheet with wax paper.
2. Together with your child, measure out each of the ingredients.
3. Invite your child to pour the measured sugar, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla one at a time into the large mixing bowl. Help your child mix the batter with a wooden spoon and talk about how the batter changes as it is mixed. (For example, it changes from lumpy and separated to smooth and creamy.)
4. When the batter is smooth and creamy, have your child pour in the oats, cereal, and chips. Continue to mix until the dry ingredients are completely coated with the peanut butter mixture.
5. Now prepare to get messy! Together with your child, roll and press the mixture into oneinch balls. Place the balls onto the lined baking sheet about a half-inch apart.
6. Chill in the refrigerator at least an hour or until firm.
7. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
8. Makes about 28 granola balls.

Parent Pointers:

• This activity helps your child learn measurements and how to follow directions/recipes.
• If possible, use an easy to read, see-through measuring cup that has 1/4, 1/3, and 1/2 clearly marked. While using the individual cups for 1/4, 1/3, and 1/2 still works, they do not give your child the same valuable experience with fractions of a whole.
• Discuss the different measurements as you work with them. For example, talk about how one cup is more than a half cup.
• When the balls are lined up on the cookie sheet, invite your child to tell you how many are in each row. How many are there altogether?
• Repeat this activity using other simple recipes. Read the recipe aloud, invite your child to help you measure the ingredients, and talk about how the ingredients change as you mix, stir, chill, or cook.