Making Apple Cider with Kids

Make apple cider with kids that they might just love and involve them in the process. With smell being one of the strongest memory triggers, the smell of hot apple cider and cinnamon in the air is such a wonderful reminder of how much I love this season! One of my daughter’s birthday presents was an adorable stainless steel cook set from her grandparents. She already loves playing with it, so I decided to do a sensory activity with her so we could make apple cider together!

While hers was pretend, I did make some real homemade apple cider and it was delicious! I served some at the party and I think that was the biggest hit ;).

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Crock Pot Apple Cider that Kids Love

•  2 Mandarins cut into slices with the rind left on.
•  1 Gallon of organic apple juice. (You can buy one or juice it yourself)
•  1 tbs of dried ginger OR 1/2 tbs minced fresh ginger
•  4 Organic Cinnamon Sticks
•  1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
•  1 Tbs. Allspice powder
•  3/4 Tbs. Ground Cloves OR Fresh whole cloves.

Adjust to taste and let brew in crockpot for a minimum of 12 hours. For the party, mine was in the crockpot for 18+ hours before being served. 

Like I said, this was such a hit at the party and even my daughter liked it… so it’s definitely kid friendly!

For her apple cider, I just made sure to let her have a sensory adventure. Not only did she get to smell the delicious real apple  cider, but she was able to pretend she was making her own. She played with a few real apples for a little while while I was making it, but for actual play, she had a small wooden apple, her stainless steel pot and ladle, a couple of cinnamon sticks, and some allspice. It gave her some different textures to play with and simulated the cooking experience.

For more ideas to get kids in the kitchen, check out the links below.