As the holidays bring family and friends together, baking often becomes a favourite activity at home and in the classroom. This month's blog, developed by teacher candidate Thomas Sayers, explores how baking can help students understand, compare, and work with fractions in a hands-on, engaging way. We wish you all a happy holiday season and encourage you to kick off the new year by bringing baking into your classroom—an inspiring way to build students' confidence in math through real-world challenges.

A good baker needs to understand fractions

When I was younger, I loved helping my mother make waffles from scratch on weekend mornings. I became quite adept at filling up the flour right to the very edge of the cup to make sure our measurements were just right. I even remember learning the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon. But one day, my mother told me we were going to double the batch of waffle batter. How was I supposed to figure out two times 1/3 cups? And if I was going to double a half teaspoon, could I just put in one whole teaspoon? Would that be the same amount? These were real, difficult questions whose answers would have a real impact on the outcome of my waffles.

This set of lessons uses baking as a hands-on way to teach students how to understand, compare, and work with fractions in a real-life situation. In the first lesson, students use measuring tools—such as whole cups, half cups, quarter cups, third cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons—to measure ingredients like flour and sugar. Along the way, they learn to identify common fractions, including 1/8, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and 1/1, in both cup and spoon measurements. This practical knowledge is further applied in the second lesson when they double and triple a cookie recipe to practice adding and multiplying fractions. They will also explore the relationships between measurements, such as how many tablespoons or teaspoons equal 1/4 cup. Finally, in the third lesson, students will bring in a recipe and are challenged to identify and compare fractions.

Half the joy of baking with children lies in their excitement and enthusiasm; the other half is watching them tackle a real-world challenge, follow directions, and accomplish something independently. For teachers, this journey also brings the reward of seeing students develop essential math skills, such as fractions, measurement, addition, and multiplication. The hands-on experience with baking ingredients can even spark curiosity and lead to further exploration in areas like health or science. These are versatile lessons that will inspire both confidence and a deeper understanding of fractions.