Let's Celebrate Grandparents Day & Literacy Day with Cooking and Reading!

• What’s Grandma’s favorite fruit for making jam? Elderberries, naturally!
• What did Grandpa say about his favorite recipe book? “It has all the ‘ingredients’ for a good story!”
• How does a tree read a book? It leafs through the pages!

Did you know that this year, Grandparents Day and International Literacy Day fall on the same day, Sunday, September 8th? This rare alignment, occurring once every 6-7 years, is a golden opportunity to celebrate the love and wisdom of grandparents while emphasizing the importance of literacy across generations. Here are some creative ways to make the most of this special day.

Recipe Exchange + Cooking Together

Encourage kids and grandparents to exchange their favorite recipes and cook together if possible. If distance is an issue, each can prepare the other’s recipe separately and share their culinary adventures virtually. Cooking strengthens family bonds and helps children develop crucial literacy skills like reading comprehension, sequencing, and vocabulary. It’s also a chance for grandparents to share cherished family recipes, traditions, and stories! 

Stories + Snacks

Gather for story time, whether in person or virtually. Grandparents and kids can take turns reading their favorite books to each other. Reading aloud helps children improve pronunciation, fluency, and listening skills while keeping grandparents’ minds active and sharp. Pair this activity with homemade snacks to make the experience even more delicious! Sticky Fingers Cooking’s online recipe box is filled with easy snack recipes just right for the occasion!

Cooks + Books: Combining Stories and Cooking

Why not combine both activities with our Cooks + Books class? Inspired by our popular Cooks + Books cooking class, this method pairs storytelling with step-by-step cooking instructions. Children discover the joy of reading for pleasure and learn the importance of reading for information. Engaging multiple senses enhances retention and understanding for all ages! Recently we paired the beloved book Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown and John Parra with a cooking class featuring Ana’s Cheesy Pea + Corn Arepas + Mama’s Garden Pea Guacamole. The kids ate it up!

What are some of your family’s favorite books right now? How might you cook up some adventures together?

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