This recipe creation has such a silly story. I wanted to warm Benjamin’s oats in the oven (it was stillwarm after I used it) and it came out like a literal cake.
Then the idea of making these cake balls for him came to life! Ofcourse I had to test it out first before I could share it with you.
The ingredients are simple and so is the method. Feel free to make your own flavours and coatings.
This is just a basic recipe for Benjamin as he really loves theses. Let’s get started!
FIRST, put the oven on 200°C
Ingredients:
-1 cup raw instant oats (I used FutureLife Smart Oats)
-50ml of milk (I used Buttanutt Oat milk)
-pinch of salt
-1 teaspoon raw honey
-2 squeeze packets/ 65g of Buttanutt nutspread
-you might need a little hot water to add to your mixture for more moisture if needed
METHOD:
-Mix all ingredients together except for the nutspread. You want a firm texture to roll into little balls
-Grease a baking tray
-Roll mixture into balls and place on tray
-Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown
-Let it cool
-Coat with nutspread
-Decorate with sprinkles or shredded coconut
-Put in fridge for spread to set or enjoy as is!
NOTE: Feel free to add a scoop of protein to your mixture if it is for yourself and enjoy as an post/pre workout snack.
Be sure to check out the Buttanutt website for great and healthy deals! (www.buttanutt.co.za)
It is no question that our toddlers mind are always busy and needs continuous stimulation.
Learning doesn’t have to happen at a table. Our kids learn as they play and through everyday life experiences. Below are a few activities to try with your toddler:
SENSORY PLAY
Sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to the child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks. It also supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction
-a bowl of jelly with hidden objects in, let them take it out
-shaving foam/yogurt on a mirror, let them draw, scribble, go wild
-mud bath for farm animals, let them scrub the toys
-rainbow rice for scooping/ transferring. Find recipe here
SORTING
Sorting objects into categories
Sorting helps build visual perception and thinking skills. Children can generally sort the colours before they can name them. Learning to categorise and classify helps memory skills.
-start out with 2 colours at a time and work your way up
-as you child gets familiar with more objects (e.g shapes) let them sort accordingly
-make it fun and include movement e.g they have to walk/ crawl to put the red block in the red basket
PUZZLES
Inset puzzles are great to begin with
This is a great way to create a fun learning opportunity for kids. Simple inset/ jigsaw puzzles help children develop finger strength, perseverance and problem solving skills. … Picking up, moving and twisting the pieces of a puzzle helps children to develop finger strength and hand-eye coordination.
-inset puzzles are great to begin with
-jigsaw puzzles- this is a favourite at any age
-geometric puzzles- teaches them about shapes
-connect the dots- here they learn about numbers
-mazes- helps with critical thinking and eye coordination
COUNTING
Teaching your toddler to count involves more than helping them learn the numbers one to ten. It involves helping them understand the meaning of numbers. E.g give me 2 bananas, and they then have to count them out and give it to you.
-start out with 1-5 and work your way up
-count anything throughout the day
-put flash cards up in the house and when they stop at the number let them jump or clap that amount of times
-do counting receptively (give me 3 balls) or expressively (them counting)
SCOOPING AND POURING
Scooping and pouring activities help develop fine motor skills in under 5s as well as using math concepts such as less and more. These tasks help children coordinate their hand movements with what they are seeing and feeling (it might be water pouring on their feet!)
-put water in a big container and let them scoop and pour with cups
-put objects in the water, let them scoop and transfer it to another container
PLAY DOUGH ACTIVITIES
Play dough activities has numerous benefits. It is calming, it helps with fine motor skills, encourages creativity, enhances eye-hand coordination, improves social skills, promote playtime and supports literacy and numeracy.
-rolling balls and strings (strengthens hand and arms muscles)
-poking holes (strengthens finger muscles)
-makes shapes, numbers, objects (creativity and learning)
-use cookie cutters and do make believe play
FINE MOTOR
Fine motor activities help children perform important tasks like feeding themselves, grasping toys, buttoning and zipping clothes, writing, drawing, and more. The ability to complete self-care and everyday tasks helps a child’s self-esteem and confidence to increase.
-beading/ threading
-posting
-weaving
-block play
GROSS MOTOR
Gross motor skills involve movements of the large muscles of the arms, legs and torso. Kids rely on gross motor skills for everyday activities at school, at home and in the community. Kids who struggle with gross motor skills have trouble doing whole-body movements like climbing and jumping jacks.
-climbing
-crawling
-obstacle courses
-jumping
-yoga for kids
-running
Let’s stimulate our little ones’ brains one activity at a time while they still have lots of fun!
As our kids grow, so does their brains. It is also important to make sure that we nourish their brains with all the right nutrients.
I believe in healthy eating not only for myself but for my little one as well.
We try to steer away from gluten, dairy and refined sugars as much as possible. The reason for this is because his brain is going through its biggest development stage (first 1000 days) and needs the best nutrients. I still give him these occasionally as he still has a lifetime of parties ahead and I don’t want to make him immune to the above.
Benjamin turns 2 in October and his appetite is really big. He has consistent eating times and thrives on it. I however don’t give him any fruit after 16h00 to prevent the “sugar” high and restlessness.
SWEET SNACKS
🍉fruit salad (you can add plain yogurt if you want)
🍏apple chippies and nut butter
🍌nice cream (banana, add fruits of choice for flavour,blend and freeze dairyfree)
🍪 healthy biscuits and tea (Benjamin takes rooibos with almond milk)
*Flapjacks with fruit and yogurt
Our kids love a sweet snack but we need to take care of that afternoon savoury snack. My friend Shayleigh took care of the yummy savoury snacks for us and you can find it here. We both love healthy eating and understand the importance of brain development.
