Kids in the Kitchen – Learning more than just reading recipes.
Bring kids into the kitchen and have them plan a meal or prepare one alongside you for a lesson that goes beyond learning how to cook. Practice skills in math, science, history and time management.
Learn About Math, Volume and Time Value
Recipes are full of numbers including measurements, times and quantities. Have children read and measure ingredients to learn about volume and size. Properly estimating the true size of a cup or half cup helps them learn portion control in serving and eating. Learning the value of time and being able to manage their time for things like homework and chores. Exercise math skills by doubling or halving recipes.
Lessons In Science
Recipes are a lesson in science. Kids can learn that actions and reactions create the dishes we eat. Bread rises because of yeast, salt brings out sweetness, butter melts, eggs run or bounce depending on if they are raw or boiled. Basic concepts of adding heat to water to cause it to boil becomes a science lesson. Allowing children to play at cooking reinforces skills they will use in the school science lab.
Exploring History
Recipes teach us about our history. From recipes off the back of boxes to ones passed down through the family. There are recipes we use to celebrate holidays or special occasions. Consider Thanksgiving and how interwoven recipes and food are with that day. Learning where recipes came from and passing them down gives us a personal history and becomes part of our identity. A grandmother’s cookie recipe or mom’s soup recipe to help us get well are a part of our personal history that can be learned and passed on.
Creating Memories
Getting kids in the kitchen makes opportunities to create memories. Spending time helping a child select a recipe for a meal and then helping prepare it teaches them responsibility and how to plan and prepare. Not only is there the opportunity to discover the science, history and math of a recipe, but there are so many more topics that can be introduced. Discussing how food affects health, where food comes from, how plants grow, jobs related to the food industry, and food/kitchen safety. These are just some of the examples of topics while cookign together. An extra bonus of spending time together is they may open up, talk about their day and let you know what’s going on in their life. Most importantly the memory of cooking with you in the kitchen gives a child a memory of time spent together.
Check out our DIY Halloween Cookbook Blog perfect for Kids – Halloween Cookbook Project
Kids cookbooks make great fundraisers! For more information on creating a kids fundraising cookbook check out – Creative Fundraising for Schools and Clubs