When Sammy finished preschool, she was so close to getting the hang of reading. She was starting to sound out letters, even when she started to get frustrated. Heading into kindergarten, she’ll be studying both the Spanish language and English. A few weeks ago, I tried out a Love with Food box that had Dick and Jane Spanish language cookie snacks in it. Sammy got so into learning Spanish words while she ate that when she ate the last cookie, tears trickled down her cheek. On a whim, I emailed the Dick and Jane company to see if I could review some additional cookies. The owner contacted me back, and voila, a delicious box of cookie snacks showed up in my mailbox! Happy daughter, happy mom.

Dick and Jane Cookie Snacks

Sammy grinned when she noticed her brand new bag of Spanish cookies. Immediately, she recognized that these were the same cookies that she had before, which was pretty neat, considering that I didn’t have to point out that these cookies had Spanish words on them. To help educate a beginning reader of either the English language or Spanish, the cookies did a good job of explaining simple words with visuals.

Both of my daughters were eager to devour the cookies. Even though the cookies serve an educational purpose, another main advantage is that they taste really good. There’s only about five cookies in each snack bag, so the caloric content is reasonable as a snack for one kid or for two kids to share.

We received several of each type of cookie in single serve bags. The neat part about the single serve bags is that the size gave my daughters some independence. I still had the girls ask permission to get a snack, but they had some freedom in being able to reach the snacks and serve them to themselves.

The cookies come in three styles. Weeks ago, I tried the Spanish cookies. Now, I also received states and presidents cookies. As a certified teacher, I can see the value in the content included on the snacks. Memorizing states doesn’t require higher order thinking since it’s just rote memorization, so some teachers choose not to focus on the state names. Geography is a skill that kids still need, though, as they should have an overall idea of whether places are states, countries, or continents. Learning the names of the states also helps students learn more about history as it relates to different regions.

Choosing Dick and Jane items for snack time is a smart choice. Over the summer, keeping Sammy engaged in learning is a major goal of mine. One way I keep her engaged is by focusing on topics that interest her. Since our family has moved to three different states during Sammy’s life, she has an interest in the states where she’s lived. When she discovered that the bag included a Maryland cookie, she was ecstatic. She insisted on eating Maryland first.

Since she had previously loved the taste of the Spanish cookies, it was no surprise that she also liked the state cookies. Using food as an edible manipulatives brought a new meaning to playing with your food. As cool as it was for Sammy to eat a snack she enjoyed, I encouraged her to slow down and examine the cookies before she ate them.

Although Sammy is too young to memorize all 50 states and their capitals, she enjoyed connecting with her food. Even brief exposure to the material on the cookies helped teach her something new, as shown in her recognizing the Spanish language on the cookies. It was clear that these cookies are a new favorite snack in my household. With my background in education, I appreciated the value in educating kids during everyday activities with treats they can enjoy. You can contact the company via Facebook or Twitter.

Disclosure

I received a free item to help inform my writing.