Corbyn's last day of "freedom"

I was very lucky today because I was able to have Corbyn all on my own all day. This was a very special day too, since tomorrow, he becomes a big boy and starts Primary 1! 

The first thing we did was play Zoo Tycoon, which is a computer game we both enjoy.  It is amazing how much Corbyn has learned through playing this game, such as noticing when we were at a safari park that their elephants had no savanna grass!

We ended the day with an hour walk to the little duck pond and through the woods, being very careful not to ruin his shoes in the mud.  I must say he was wonderful in avoiding all the puddles.  Not like the usual Corbyn, but maybe that is him already growing up a bit.

In the middle though, Corbyn wanted to bake and he really wanted to bake cupcakes. But I had bought him "My Baking Journal"  which was published by Belmont Academy students. It is aimed for young children to make baking fun!  I had originally decided to get it for all my nieces and nephews in the States, but the recipes are all British and it would just confuse a young baker.  But, after today, I can certainly recommend it to any up and coming baker!  Corbyn loved it and was very pleased with the results. But maybe I am getting ahead of myself!

To make the most of this journal, I thought it would work best to start with the first recipe and do each in turn.  Since neither of us had ever made flapjacks, and Corbyn didn't know what they were,  this was as good a place to start as any.  Now, the term flapjacks confused me when I first moved here and was offered a flapjack at someone's house.  What I was expecting was a pancake and I could not really understand why she would have offered me this. Then I was served a very sweet oat cake?  This is the trouble when living in a country where you think they speak the same language, and they often don't! 

Corbyn seems to have grown out of his little apron and wanted to wear the one with the moose on it.  He looked like a chef with the apron almost to his ankles!  But, as you can see, he loved it.

I had the foresight to set out all the ingredients.  This maybe defeats the purpose of the journal, part of the learning process is the numbers.....but my patience only stretches so far, and the same goes for Corbyn.  He did, however, arrange the dishes with the ingredients into what he decided looked like Mickey Mouse!

Since Corbyn is starting school and all that, I told him he could stir the pot with sugar, butter and syrup.  He did a few times, but asked me to take over because he is only 4! 

The journal also had a place for a photo and Corbyn was uncharacteristically cooperative in allowing me to take pictures.  And my camera battery died, so I had to depend on my Ipad.  Not as good of quality, but just as much fun!

Corbyn also had to rate the recipe on a scale of ten.  Trying to explain this concept to a 4 year old was challenging.  After discussion, he chose 4.  Later on, we were eating them in the car - cooler and much tastier.  Corbyn said he REALLY liked them a lot better.  However, I could not get him to change his rating because he just could not get his head around that concept again.  Oh well, this recipe will live on as 4 out of 10, at least until we do it again. 

The next recipe in the journal is  Rocky Road, or as Corbyn told him Mum - Chocolate Street!


This was such a simple recipe:

Fantastic Flapjacks

75g butter
50g soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
175g oats
50g sultanas (raisins) (optional)


1.  Grease or line a square cake tin.  ( I used a 9 inch pan and I think an 8 inch one would have been better).  Preheat oven to 180c.
2.  Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan on medium heat.

3.  Add in the oats and sultanas, mix well, and transfer to cake tin. 
4.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. 
5.  Cut into chunks and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.” — George Santayana