Presale • Family STEAM Cookbook Text
The Kitchen Is My Lab: A STEAM Cookbook Text
A Science Technology Engineering Art & Math text for families and cookbook lovers everywhere—served one recipe, one experiment, and one reflection at a time.
Turn weeknight dinners into mini science labs, art studios, and cultural field trips. This presale edition invites your family into a playful, rigorous STEAM journey—without ever leaving the kitchen table.
Presale buyers receive early access bonus activities and a printable family reflection journal pack.Ideal for ages 7–14 with grown-up guidance • Perfect for home, school breaks, and co-learning pods.
Why this book, why now
A STEAM lab disguised as dinner time
The Kitchen Is My Lab turns everyday ingredients into invitations for inquiry. Each recipe doubles as a hands-on investigation, weaving together science experiments, design challenges, artful plating, and conversations about culture and community.
Instead of adding “one more thing” to an already full family schedule, this book layers curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking onto moments you’re already sharing—meals, snacks, celebrations, and traditions.
In every chapter, families will:
- Follow family-friendly recipes written with kids and grown-ups in mind.
- Pause for STEAM spotlights that explain the science, technology, engineering, art, and math hiding in each step.
- Tackle hands-on kitchen projects—from building foam-tastic reactions to designing edible structures.
- Use reflective journaling prompts to document discoveries, feelings, and new questions.
- Explore food stories and cultural connections that honor traditions and expand worldviews.
It’s a cookbook. It’s a workbook. It’s a memory book—designed to be splattered, scribbled in, and passed down.
Inside the Lab
What’s inside The Kitchen Is My Lab
Every spread is intentionally layered to support curiosity, collaboration, and confidence—for both kids and the adults guiding them.
Family-friendly recipes
Step-by-step recipes with clear roles for kids and adults, visual timers, and symbols that show which STEAM lenses you’re using.
Breakfasts, snacks, mains & treats
Allergy-aware swaps & notes
Difficulty levels clearly labeled
Hands-on STEAM projects
Short, high-impact investigations that piggyback on your recipe—no extra shopping list required.
Test variables, make predictions, collect data
Engineer structures and systems using food
Use art, drawing, and photography to document
Reflective journaling & culture
Guided prompts and open space for kids and adults to notice, name, and honor what they’re learning and where their food comes from.
Reflections on identity & family traditions
Questions that stretch empathy & worldview
Space to sketch, doodle, and dream
For families & learning communities
Build curiosity, courage, and connection around the table
The Kitchen Is My Lab is for parents, caregivers, aunties, uncles, grandparents, homeschoolers, and educators who want learning to feel alive, embodied, and joyful.
Curiosity: Kids ask their own questions, design tests, and follow their wonder.
Creativity: Food becomes a medium for art, storytelling, and playful experimentation.
Critical thinking: Families practice noticing patterns, comparing results, and revising ideas.
Cultural awareness: Recipes and prompts center heritage, community voices, and global perspectives.
Collaboration: Roles and reflection prompts make room for every age at the table.
A peek inside a family lab session
Tonight’s recipe: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Skillet
Your child washes, peels, and dices sweet potatoes, then observes how heat transforms their texture and color.
Together you:
Predict how long the sweet potatoes will take to soften compared to onions and peppers—and explain why size and water content matter.
Observe sizzling, steam release, and browning as evidence of heat transfer and chemical change.
Sort and count ingredients by color, then arrange the finished dish into a color pattern before serving.
Journal about a family memory connected to sweet potatoes or a meal made by a loved one.
Discuss where sweet potatoes and black beans are grown and the people involved in bringing them from farm to table.
In less than an hour, you’ve cooked dinner, completed a mini science lab, practiced math and visual design, and created space for story, connection, and gratitude.
Back cover story
The kitchen table is a powerful classroom
If you’ve ever answered a hundred questions while chopping onions… if you’ve ever watched a child’s eyes widen as batter rises… if you’ve ever felt your own childhood resurface with the first bite of a familiar dish—then you already know the truth of this book.
The Kitchen Is My Lab was born from years of cooking with young people who were bursting with questions: Why does dough rise? What makes spice blends from different countries smell so different? How do we remember the recipes our grandparents never wrote down?
Inside these pages, you’ll meet recipes that invite experimentation, projects that welcome mess and surprise, and reflection prompts that slow the moment long enough to notice what’s changing—inside the bowl and inside ourselves.
This is not about perfect plating or picture-ready kitchens. It’s about belonging. It’s about kids seeing themselves as makers, thinkers, and culture-keepers. It’s about adults remembering that they, too, are still allowed to wonder.
Whether you’re stirring a pot after school, hosting a weekend brunch, or calling a distant relative to ask how they “really make it,” this cookbook text is your companion in turning everyday meals into unforgettable learning.
The Kitchen Is My Lab invites your family to taste science, mix in math, plate with artistry, engineer solutions, and tell the stories that only you can tell.
Highlights
20+ recipes and STEAM investigations designed for real-life kitchens.
Engagement strategies that build STEAM skills and literacy as well as cultural awareness.
Built-in journaling pages so kids can track experiments, feelings, and ideas.
Adaptable for classroom, homeschool, after-school, and community programs.
Created with equity and representation in mind—so more kids see their stories at the table.
Be among the first families to bring this lab to life—and help shape future editions with your feedback.
What parents & educators are saying
“It changed how we see meal time.”
Early readers and pilot families have already begun turning their kitchens into joyful labs.
“My 9-year-old used to rush away from the table. Now she asks if we can ‘do an experiment’ while we cook. The reflection questions have helped us talk about feelings, not just food.”
— Danielle, parent of two
“As an educator, I’m always looking for ways to connect standards to real life. This book is a dream: data charts next to doodles, cultural context next to cooking tips. It’s rigorous and warm.”
— Mr. Alvarez, 5th grade teacher
“This S.T.E.A.M. Kids Cookbook is absolutely amazing! It turns cooking into a hands-on learning adventure where kids explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math—all while having fun in the kitchen. The recipes are easy to follow, engaging, and thoughtfully designed to spark curiosity and creativity. My students didn’t just cook; they learned why ingredients react, how measurements work, and how to think critically through each step. It’s the perfect blend of education and excitement, and it’s quickly become a favorite in our school . I highly recommend this cookbook for parents, educators, and anyone who wants to make learning delicious!"
— Ms. LaShanda Boyd, Administrator at L.I.F.E. Academy
Questions, answered
Presale details & logistics
Here’s what you need to know before you reserve your family’s copy of The Kitchen Is My Lab: A STEAM Cookbook Text.
What exactly do I get when I join the presale?
Presale supporters receive the first print edition of The Kitchen Is My Lab: A STEAM Cookbook Text shipped to you as soon as it’s released, plus exclusive early-access digital bonuses. Those bonuses include: a printable family reflection journal pack, 5 bonus mini-lab activities that are not in the book, and a presale-only live virtual lab session invite.
Who is this book best suited for?
The book is written for families with kids ages 7–14, but the activities can be adapted for younger and older learners with support. It’s especially helpful for parents, caregivers, homeschoolers, learning pods, after-school programs, and classroom teachers looking to bring more hands-on, culturally responsive STEAM learning into everyday life.
Do I need special equipment or a fancy kitchen?
No. The Kitchen Is My Lab was intentionally designed for real-life kitchens with limited time, space, and tools. Most recipes and projects rely on common pantry ingredients and basic cookware. When an optional tool or ingredient might enhance the activity, we offer accessible alternatives.
How much time does a typical “lab session” take?
Most recipes can be completed in 30–60 minutes, with optional extensions if your family wants to go deeper. Journaling and reflection prompts can be used at the table while you eat, or saved for later as a bedtime or weekend activity.
When will the book ship?
The current target release window for the presale print run will is May 18, 202 . As a presale supporter, you’ll receive email updates on printing, shipping timelines, and sneak peeks at chapters as we move toward your delivery date.
Reserve your family’s lab
Preorder “The Kitchen Is My Lab: A STEAM Cookbook Text”
Lock in your copy today and get instant access to digital bonuses that help you start turning your kitchen into a lab—before the book even arrives.
- 1 print copy of The Kitchen Is My Lab: A STEAM Cookbook Text
- Printable family reflection journal pack (PDF)
- 5 bonus mini-lab activities delivered by email
- Invite to a presale-only virtual family lab session
Secure checkout • Limited presale print run • Updates sent via email.
Perfect for:
- Parents and caregivers who want joyful, rigorous learning at home
- Homeschool, microschool, and learning pod leaders
- Educators seeking culturally responsive STEAM resources
- Libraries, community centers, and after-school programs
Educator or organization ordering multiple copies? Reach out for bulk and classroom pricing options.
