Pizza project includes lesson on ‘pi’

Kitchen becomes the classroom

Here’s a great project for the kiddos while they’re off for Christmas break and a tasty way to use some of that venison you’ve brought home now that deer hunting is winding down.

Have the youngsters make their own pizza. It’s so easy, and there are all kinds of lessons that will unfold when the kids are busy in the kitchen with a little pinch of adult help. The little darlings won’t even know they’re learning. Talk about a great crafts project, and what kid isn’t crazy about pizza?

Here at Camp See No Deer, we haven’t bought a pizza since we started making our own from scratch. And it’d cost an arm, a leg and a foot to get a pizza delivered out here.

So herd those youngsters into the kitchen and lets get started.

We’re going to make our pizza almost from scratch, but not quite. To keep it simple we’ll make the crust with a pizza crust mix then pile on the toppings. The powdered mix we use at Camp See No Deer uses one-half cup of hot water and a teaspoon of vegetable oil or whatever type of cooking oil you prefer. It makes a thin, crispy, delicious crust.

Stand back and let the kids get the half-cup of hot water and the teaspoon of oil and stir it in with the mix in a big bowl. See? They’re already learning about measuring ingredients. Have them read the directions on the envelope or box of crust mix and let the kids get it ready. Another lesson learned — following a recipe.

Meanwhile, crank up the oven to the recommended temperature, around 475. Brown a little venison burger or venison sausage, if you have it, on the stove.

Now let the kids use their fingers to press the dough all around the pizza pan so it reaches the edges. Dusting their hands with some flour helps keep their little fingers from sticking to the raw crust.

The crust mix we like recommends

Talk about a great crafts project, and what kid isn’t crazy about pizza?

piercing the dough several times with a fork once it’s spread over the pizza pan, then baking the crust for five minutes. Your mix may not require this step.

Now the fun really ramps

up when we start topping our pizza. Have the kids open a jar or can of pizza sauce and let them brush it liberally all over the crust. No pizza sauce? Spaghetti sauce is a good substitute. Let them top the pizza with whatever topping they like, including the optional cooked venison. Pepperoni, bits of ham, some cooked bacon, chopped onion, mushrooms are all good.

Maybe one kid really likes bologna. He or she can top part of the pizza with bologna pieces. Then that can be their designated slice.

The grand finale is spreading grated cheese, lots of it, around the pizza pie. Let the kids do it, choosing mozzarella, cheddar or a cheesy blend.

Oh the excitement as their own pizza bakes, a pizza they made themselves, and starts filling the kitchen with that wonderful pizza aroma.

Time for a math lesson when the pizza pie comes out of the oven. You might have your young cooking team measure the diameter of their pizza. Have them use pi to figure the circumference of their pizza pie. When it’s time to dig in, slicing the pizza in half, then in fourths and eighths gets them thinking about fractions.

Then the joy is in the eating. Your young chefs will bask in the wonderful glow, that feeling of accomplishment, when they bite into a pizza they’ve made themselves.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff) Kids won’t have a clue they’re learning when they make their own pizza with a smidgeon of adult help. Letting the kiddos do the work teaches them about measuring liquid and dry ingredients, using utensils and an oven. Adults can even have the young chefs determine the diameter and circumference of their home-baked pizza.