Learn Math with Cookies

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Summer is here and although this year may look different, the basics are still there: sunshine, long days and the freedom of the season. Both of our boys are home this summer since most camps and summer schools are remote. I am still working from home and trying to keep them busy seems like an impossible task most days. Our new lifestyle has me settling into the transition from working mother to WFH (work-from-home) parent/teacher and now summer camp director. Sharing ideas with my fellow WFH parents has been my saving grace for finding new ideas to keep my boys interested and motivated. That’s how I stumbled upon SoEn Cookie Gram.

I was browsing through all the different cookie choices when I saw the Cookie Math option – a set of 10 cookies, brown icing for “chips,” math worksheets, and instructions. Immediately, I was intrigued. They were affordable, available to ship, and seemed like such a fun way to mix up Ben and AJ’s lesson plans. I added them to the cart and, along with my boys, eagerly waited for them to make their way to the Lay household.

My boys absolutely loved them, and, as a mom, it felt good to be able to offer them some variety in their schooling. Most of their schoolwork has been done on the computer, so it was fun for them to be able to get away from the screen and learn in a more creative, hands-on way – even if they were trying to eat the cookies the entire time. It felt like more of a treat than schoolwork, which allowed the Cookie Math set to fit seamlessly into their home lesson plan while also being a “sweet” experience. It was super easy to have both boys involved, even at their different age levels of 5 and 7 years old. For Ben, we used this set to teach him numbers and introduce counting. For AJ, he already knew his numbers, so we used the set to teach him addition, subtraction, and more advanced math.

With the positive experience my rascals had with this set, and with how perfectly it fit into our current at-home teaching situation, I wanted to learn more about the story behind these cookies and SoEn Cookie Gram. Nicki is the brains behind SoEn Cookie Gram. She is a mother of two, wife to a Frenchman-recently-turned-U.S. citizen, and, surprisingly, is relatively new to cookie decorating.

Her cookie decorating obsession started from what she considered a “failure” in her eyes. When Nicki’s daughter turned 1, she wanted to bake and decorate fancy cookies for her birthday but failed miserably. For so long after, she was afraid to try again and shied away from the idea. One day, for a Christmas program for her daughter, Nicki decided to try again. They didn’t come out great, but, this time, she kept trying. As she improved, she built up enough courage to apply for a Cottage Food Operator permit and started her cookie business. My favorite part about SoEn Cookie Gram, besides how much my rascals loved it, is that it all started from this story of resilience, of falling, getting back up, and pushing away her fears to try again.

Turning her newfound cookie decorating hobby into a business was a way for Nicki to share her creative outlet with others. Cookie decorating was therapeutic, and she hoped that, through her cookies, others would be able to cope and destress at home and on their own in the same way. She also wanted to be able to share the most rewarding aspect of the process with others, her feeling of, “Wow. I did that!” 

Now, Nicki says she finds her inspiration in everything. “I see cookies everywhere,” Nicki told us, “I honestly want to ‘cookiefy’ everything.” Find Nicki’s Cookie Math set (and more) at SoEn Cookie Gram.

Written by Head Rascal (Ngoc Nguyen Lay), mother of two rascals, ages 5 and 7. Photos by Simply Adri Photography.