Little Hands Learning | Irresistible Cookie Kit

“A monthly subscription box, inspired by the magic of books.”

October marked the move from the Explorers (3+) box to the Investigators (6+) box and I think I switched at such a good time – Alfie thoroughly enjoyed this box. Whereas the Explorers box contains a picture book with four activities, the Investigators box contains a chapter/advanced reader book with one or two activities, but a booklet full of challenges – from reading and maths challenges to puzzles and other tasks. You can tell this is aimed at an older age group!

The Irresistible Cookie kit was inspired by the book Lenny Lemmon and the Invincible Rat by Ben Davis and illustrated by James Lancett – a hilarious school tale with black and white illustrations. When Lenny brings a rat to school, you can only imagine the drama and chaos which will ensue! It’s then up to Lenny and his friends to round up the rat before any more damage is done…

And what better way to tempt the rat than with a cookie pizza? We had a great time creating (and eating!) this masterpiece… In fact, it got a lot of attention on my Instagram! We were provided with the flour and sugar for the cookie mix and just needed to add some butter and egg, along with the chocolate chips (also provided). The box contained cooking chocolate and marshmallows for the topping.

Alfie enjoyed pouring and mixing, while I shaped the giant cookie (aka pizza base). Once it was cooked, I carefully melted the chocolate in the microwave, helping him spread it onto the cookie before Alfie topped with the remaining chocolate chips and marshmallows. We ate a slice while it was still warm, and it was delicious – we simply could not wait! I’ve said we will make it again, and we can even experiment with different toppings.

We also got to cut, fold and stick our very own rat, using the template provided. While ours didn’t get up to too much mischief, it enjoyed guarding the cookie pizza… and didn’t nab a slice!

Alfie really enjoyed the mazes in the booklet too – there were three to complete, ranging in difficulty. He had to help the rats get to the cheese and was so proud when he completed them all, but in particular, the hardest challenge – it was pretty tricky, and I did give him some help… I also suggested trying in pencil first, as he was keen to use the felt pens. It made easier to retrace his steps when he took a wrong turn, and then he went over the lines in pen after – even giving himself ticks for completing each one!

The reading challenges varied in difficulty – Alfie loved the speedy finger challenge, where he had to turn to the corresponding page to find the answer to the question. This is similar to some of the questions he gets in his school reading books, so was familiar to him.

The Irresistible Cookie kit is still available online and you can also take a look at the other Investigators boxes in the shop – but we highly recommend this one, particularly as an introduction to see what they are like if you are unsure.

Remember to follow @littlehandslearninguk on Instagram to see the latest boxes, tips, and other educational activities.

Love, Lucy xx