Education in the Kitchen (Part 1 of 3)

With schools being out for Covid-19, families are probably spending more time with each other than they normally do. Families aren’t having to rush from one sporting event to another extracurricular activity with supper being on the run through a fast-food restaurant. Most parents are becoming the teacher for their children and this can be overwhelming at times. I would encourage you to spend time teaching skills to your children that maybe you haven’t had the time or opportunity to do in the past. I am going to help give you some ideas on how to teach using food and your kitchen in the first of a three-part series called Education in the Kitchen.

Today I will give you 3 ways to teach topics using food and your kitchen. Today’s topics will primarily focus on activities you can do with younger children but can definitely be modified to do with older children (I will discuss activities for older children throughout the series).

1)    Teach about food and where it comes from. As I’m writing this blog, today, April 14, is National Gardening Day. What a great way to celebrate by planting your very own vegetable garden and discussing where your food comes from. Kids will get to take ownership and learn responsibility and hard work by taking care of the garden, pulling weeds, watering, etc. This could be a great way to get outside and do something new as a family. You might even get your kids to try veggies that they normally wouldn’t eat if they have an investment in where the food has come from.

2)    Work on fine motor skills. Think about all of the ways you could be getting your child involved in the kitchen and practice their fine motor skills. This could be having them help by stirring, draining, cleaning off fresh produce, spreading something with a knife, using a rolling pin, peeling a potato with a peeler, the list is endless. Start working with them in the kitchen and they may develop a passion for cooking and spending quality time with you.

3)    Learn Healthy habits. Think about this period of time as an opportunity to learn some healthy habits since more people are cooking meals at home. Maybe this is a reset on how your family thinks about eating and making healthy choices. Talk with your child about what they are putting in their body, what is considered good and healthy foods and what they may need to consume in moderation. I know some of you learned about the food pyramid when you were growing up but it has been replaced, by the USDA, with the food plate. If you aren’t familiar with this concept, maybe you could spend some time learning about it with your children.

I hope this gets you and your family busy in the kitchen learning lessons outside of their virtual school work that will stay with your children for years to come!