Cooking Activity: Strawberry Smoothie Bowl

In this recipe we see a creamy smoothie bowl that blends strawberries with yogurt. Join "Cooking Counts" chefs Patty Rodriguez and Oliver as they explore early math concepts like discovering shapes, counting ingredients and using spatial vocabulary.

Find this and other recipes and fun music videos on our YouTube channel @FamilyMathKids.

Learning Objectives

Practice counting, measuring and patterns while making a sweet treat.

What You'll Need

*Makes 3 servings

• 1 ½ cups low-fat Greek yogurt
• 3 cups strawberries
• 1 tsp agave syrup or honey (to taste)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (to taste)
• Toppings like: bananas, honey, shredded coconut

Note: You can replace any ingredient with your favorite fruits or toppings.

Steps

• Measure yogurt and strawberries. Use measuring cups and kid-friendly knives to cut strawberries in half.

* Talk together: ”How many strawberries fit into 1 cup?”

• Puree strawberries in a blender with a little bit of water.

* “How did the strawberries change?”

• Mix puree, agave syrup and vanilla into the yogurt.

* “If we want the yogurt to be sweet, we add MORE syrup. If we want it to be tart, we add LESS syrup.”

• Slice bananas and prepare other toppings.
• Add favorite toppings in a pattern and enjoy!

Talk Together

Patterns are sequences of things that repeat all around us — like toppings or sandwich layers. The more you talk about patterns, the more your child’s pattern-identifying skills will grow. Try saying things like:

• “I’m topping off my yogurt with banana, coconut, banana... I’m making a pattern! What do you think I’ll add next?”
• “Let’s make a pattern with utensils sort these utensils – fork, spoon, spoon, fork. Fork, spoon, spoon, fork.”
• “Let’s make a rule for making a sandwich: bread, ham, cheese, and bread.”

Fun Fact

The average strawberry has about 200 tiny seeds on the outside.