“If You Give a Moose a Muffin” by Laura Numeroff has turned our freshly picked July blueberries into a moment for cozy, cool, snacking. We had our short summer trip to the mountains and mentally, we are still there. We are, for the moment, trying to forget that the outdoors feels like a furnace. Rather, we are cool, chilly even. We befriend moose. We too make sock puppets and ask too many requests. Or maybe, it really is the heat affecting us…
What are we reading?
We have retreated from the mountains and returned to the heat and it has left us gasping for cool air. Among the other things we miss from our mountain vacation is the abundance of wild things. Big horned sheep, mule deer, elk, chipmunks….. The chipmunks! So this week’s library haul brought home some animal books to keep our flannel loving hearts alive through the rest of this summer.
The classic “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” story is a favorite on its own. But we have grown to love all of the series of critters and their snacks written by Laura Numeroff. The moose and his muffin was only the second book in her series! Occasionally, when doing chores or riding in the car, we play the game of giving an animal a treat. We follow the bunny trail of actions, taking turns ad libbing the next step of curious adventure.
How I prepped for Bunny Book Club
These are the summer days before preschool begins in the fall: mom is equally excited about the next step and holding onto babyhood with every summer day. In the fall, we’ll be more regulated and structured. Everything that summer isn’t… But at the same time, these preemptive days of reading (aka our beloved Bunny Book Club), activities, talking aloud and creativity have prepared us both.
Mom needs more routine. She needs structure and a plan. She needs to know what days we do library, and what days we grocery shop. She needs room for naps and creative play. She needs a morning alarm and an early evening bedtime. Can she make these things happen? Surely!
So for now, we take a note from Ma Ingalls:
Monday’s we tidy and launder.
Tuesday’s we library and grocery.
Wednesday’s you cannot make us leave the house.
Thursday’s we playdate and mop.
Friday’s we adventure.
Saturday’s we live as a family.
Sunday’s we rest and outline the next week.
Sunday will be my day for creating next week’s meal plans, schedules and structure. I’m practicing! Little sister in tow definitely makes spontaneity more enjoyable, but there is still more to learn in motherhood. Systems and structure will allow for the spontaneity we miss.
For the little, Mr. Moose made for practicing “mmm” sounds. Rubbing our bellies as we sound out the letter. Over snack, we brainstormed “mmm” words, especially “mmm” foods. We talked about seasonal eating (because somehow the boy’s mother has blackberries AND cool weather, hmm!). We talked about plays, and what it meant to pretend as a character and defined “set” and “props” and “costumes”. Mr. Moose prepared us for ample conversation, and also, muffins!
Recipe
Our favorite sourdough discard blueberry muffin recipe is an adaption of the one from “Little Spoon Farm”. Makes 12 muffins.
2 c flour
¾ c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 TB cornstarch
Zest of a lemon
1 c blueberries
8 TB butter, melted
3 eggs
½ c sourdough discard
3 TB plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla, or vanilla paste
For the crumb:
3 TB butter, melted
½ c sugar
½ c flour
Directions
- Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl, omitting the blueberries.
- Add the blueberries to the dry ingredients to coat.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine. Do not overmix!
- Place into lined cupcake tins and bake for 30-35 mins at 350F.
- Allow to cool, and enjoy! Store in an airtight container for one week.
What can our toddler learn?
Muffins are by far the easiest thing for a toddler to come alongside. In fact, I heard a mom encourage younger kids to take the lead on some of their favorite snacks. In this way, they are more likely to persevere through mistakes and be willing to retry with errors or mess. These will be one of those future endeavors for my littles.
Here, kiddos can practice measuring (with little consequence with error), stirring, and ladling. As mom, I melt butter and place the tin in the oven, et voila! They do the rest.
We have noticed that age four seems to be a great leap in the direction of independence. Equally, it is a difficult area to surrender choices and tasks because there is so much room for growth in quality and obedience. However, this recipe is a safe place for kiddo and mom.
Supplemental Reading List
Other books about moose:
“House in the Woods” by Inga Moore
“Moose’s Book Bus” by Inga Moore
“Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit” by Catherine Rayner
“Finley, a Moose on the Caboose” by Candace Spizzirri
Other books by Laura Numeroff:
“If You Give a Dog a Donut”
“If You Give a Pig a Pancake”
“If You Give a Cat a Cupcake”
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