Math is all around us, especially in the kitchen. Invite your kids into the kitchen this summer, where they can practice counting and measuring (for beginners), fraction concepts, and proportionality!
Today, we're going to show you how something as simple as chopping fruit can turn into a learning opportunity for students of all ages. We used strawberries since they're in season, but you could substitute any fruit or vegetable.
Once you've chopped all of your strawberries, use them to create one of the drink recipes below! Skip to Recipes
Strawberry Fractions
Strawberry Fractions Problems + Solutions
If you have 4 strawberries and cut each one in half, how many pieces of strawberry do you end up with?
- Solution: You end up with 8 strawberry halves! Whenever you cut something in half, you’re cutting it into 2 pieces of the same size. This means you’ll always end up with double the amount you started with.
If you have 4 strawberries and cut each one into quarters, how many pieces of strawberry do you end up with?
- Solution: You end up with 16 strawberry quarters! To cut something into quarters (or fourths) you have to cut it in half twice. Since you end up with double the amount every time you cut something in half, you go from 4 strawberries to 8 halves to 16 quarters.
If you have 4 strawberries and cut each one into quarters, and each quarter into 6 pieces, how many pieces of strawberry do you end up with?
- Solution: You end up with 96 pieces of strawberry! We already know from the above question that cutting each strawberry into quarters will give you 16 pieces of strawberry. Cutting each of these quarters into 6 pieces is 16 x 6 or 96.
What fraction was each strawberry cut into?
- Solution: Each strawberry was cut into 24ths!
DIY “Pink Drink” (serves 2)
We love the classic Starbucks “pink drink” but also love the versatility of making our own version at home using whatever ingredients are available.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of strawberries (diced)
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup red drink of choice (see note)
- Sugar (optional)
- Ice
Directions
- Place 1 cup of strawberries in a blender with your red beverage. If using sugar, add that now. Blend on high until combined.
- Add 1 cup of coconut milk and some ice to each cup.
- Top with your strawberry puree
Notes
- You can use most any red drink here and achieve a tasty beverage. We usually use pomegranate/cranberry Stur drops in water, but you can also use Kool-Aid, cranberry juice, hibiscus tea, etc.
- Depending on your red drink, you may want to add a spoonful of sugar or other sweetener.
- If you’d like your drink to be smoother, you can strain out the solid strawberry bits.
Strawberry Infused Water
The best part of infusing your water with fruits and vegetables is that you have a built-in snack once you’re done!
Ingredients
- Strawberries (diced)
- Cucumber (diced)
- Mint
- Water, Seltzer, Tonic Water, etc.
Directions
- Layer your strawberries, cucumbers, and mint leaves in a bottle.
- Fill the bottle with your water of choice.
- Leave in the fridge to infuse for at least 10 minutes.
Strawberry Lemonade (serves 2)
Fruity lemonade is arguably the best part of summer, right?
Ingredients
- 1 cup Strawberries (diced)
- ½ cup Lemon Juice (~2 lemons worth)
- 3 cups Water
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- Ice
Directions
- Place strawberries and sugar in a blender with ½ cup of water. Blend until smooth.
- Pour ¼ cup of lemon juice, 1¼ cup water, and ice into each cup.
- Top with your strawberry puree.
Learn more about how Mathnasiums help students of all levels catch up, learn for understanding, and get ahead in math:
