Children become curious about the sun and learn why it is important, then bake sun bread to celebrate it.
Sun Bread
LESSON 1
The book, “Sun Bread,” by Elisa Kleven
Sun Bread ingredients:
3 eggs
3 tbsp sugar
2 cups sifted flour, puls more for dusting
1 stick of butter, melted
2 packets of active dry yeast
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp salt
Baking sheet
Small bowl and large bowl
Materials
Gather materials
Read through the story beforehand
Preparations
Improve comprehension skills by engaging with the story "Sun Bread."
Foster predicting and inferring skills based on story elements.
Cultivate emotional awareness and empathy through character emotions.
Introduce basic scientific knowledge about the sun's role in seasons and life.
Instill gratitude for nature and essential elements like the sun.
Foster creativity and imagination in speculating about the story.
Encourage critical thinking about the importance of the sun in sustaining life.
Objectives for Teachers
Children identify characters, actions, and changing emotions in the story.
Children explain the significance of the sun and its impact on seasons, plant growth, animal behavior, and human activities.
Children express their appreciation for the sun.
Children bake sun-shaped bread with rays to celebrate the sun.
Children shape the sun bread creatively.
Children follow step-by-step instructions in the sun bread recipe.
Children demonstrate patience and time management while waiting for the bread to rise and bake.
Objectives for Children
Collect and Connect
Create actions and practice singing the song “Mr. Sun” together.
Mr. Sun
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me.
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Hiding behind a tree.
These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you.
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me.
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me.
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Hiding behind a tree.
These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you.
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me.
Activity Flow
Begin by introducing the story "Sun Bread" by Elisa Kleven to your child. Show them the cover and ask what they see. Explain that the animals and the sun are characters in the story. Then, ask your child what they think the story will be about and what these characters might do.
Turn to the first page of the story and read it. After reading, look at the illustration together. Can you find any of the animals that were on the first page? What are they doing? What season does it look like?
Continue reading and finding the animals on each page. Talk about what the animals are doing, and how they might be feeling. As you continue to read, notice how their feelings change throughout the story. Reflect together on why they are changing.
After the story (or as you are reading), ask your child how the sun makes them feel, especially after a long winter. Tell them that during the winter, the sun doesn’t stay out as long during the day because it is farther away. When spring comes the sun starts to get closer to us again and stays out a little bit longer each day. What happens to the earth as the sun shines longer each day and warms it up? (Trees blossom, grass and flowers grow, animals come out, people come out, etc.) What would happen if we didn’t have the sun? (Dark, cold, no plants).
Tell your child that the sun is very important, it gives us light, warmth, and life. Ask your child what they love about the sun or why they are grateful for the sun.
Tell your child that you thought it would be fun to bake sun bread today to celebrate the sun. Follow the sun bread recipe below and work together to bake sun bread.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the milk and yeast in a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes, or until it starts to foam.
In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, and butter.
In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon salt.
Pour the wet ingredients from steps 1 and 2 into the bowl of flour and salt (from step 3)
Knead the dough on a floured surface for about ten minutes. If it’s too wet and sticks to your hands, add a bit more flour (I usually add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup).
Roll the dough into a ball and place it in a large, greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a floured surface, and knead it for a few minutes, then split the dough into two equal pieces.
Mold one piece of dough into the shape of a sun (I flatten it into a round disc). Using your index finger, poke two holes to make eyes. Roll a small ball for the nose. If you want to add a smile, you can do that now too. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
Separate the second half of the dough into 10-12 equal balls (the amount will depend on the size of your sun, we weighed them using a kitchen scale, each ball was about 30 grams). Roll the balls into long 5-6” rolls and spiral them into tiny round snail-like circles. Attach them to the outer edge of the sun to create sun rays.
Cover the bread and let it rise for one hour.
Add egg wash if desired.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-20 mins, checking frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn. I removed the nose after about 5-7 minutes so it wouldn’t burn, then attached it again afterwards. When the top is golden, remove from the oven. We took ours out and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes before eating, this allows the bread to finish cooking on the inside if it is still a little doughy.
Let cool, and serve warm.
Recipe from Simply Living Well.
Sun Bread Recipe
