Introduction and Description

Weights, measures, cooking times and temps, physical and chemical changes … you name it and the Kitchen Mathematician will beat, mix, blanche, toast, boil and fricassee food to explore the math and science that goes into cooking.

Math and Science Gumbo takes the unique approach of using food and cooking to teach many principles of math and science. The series focuses on math concepts like unit pricing, fractions, estimation, units of measurement, area and so on. On the science side, the series looks at the concepts of physical and chemical change, preservation, refrigeration, enzymes, microorganisms and gas laws. Math and Science Gumbo is tied to Ohio’s Academic Content Standards.

Lesson Plans

1. Grocery Store: Many good recipes require the cook to purchases items at the grocery store. Smart shoppers understand unit pricing, estimation and computation, economics, multiples and the various methods used for paying for purchases.
      a. Visiting the Virtual Grocery Store
      b. Comparing Generic Brands to National Brands
      c. Making Change
      d. Coupons
      e. Credit Card Enrichment

2. Food Preservation: Preserving food to prevent spoilage involves chemical and physical changes. It also requires knowledge of units of measurement, volume and food safety.
      a. Mr. or Mrs. Gallonhead
      b. Fruit Juice Popsicles
      c. Sun Pickles
      d. Fruit Leathers

3. Bake Shop: There’s nothing like the aroma of fresh, hot baked goods, right out of the oven. In this section, students will learn about units of measurement, fractions and the physical and chemical changes of baking.
      a. Doubling and Tripling Recipes
      b. Pumpkin Problem
      c. Chemical and Physical Changes
      d. Make It Hot! Hot! Hot! (Temperature Conversion)

4. Restaurant: Restaurants and school cafeterias buy and prepare large quantities of food every day. How do they know what to buy and prepare when they don’t know exactly how many people are coming to dinner?
      a. Overhead and Profit
      b. The Cost of Running a Restaurant
      c. Root Beer Floats: States of Matter
      d. Homemade Ice Cream Challenge

5. Pizza Shop: Hot, fresh pizzas are more than just delicious! Their different shapes are perfect for learning about fractions, remainders, percentage and area. Plus, a pizza’s baking process is the perfect way to learn about elapsed time.
      a. Parts of a Set
      b. Area of a Rectangle and a Square
      c. Equivalent Fractions and Fraction Bars
      d. Data Analysis and Probability
      e. Equivalent Fractions Model