Back to the Kitchen!

I have written before about the importance of cooking with children.  Cooking involves a number of curriculum areas, encourages children to try new foods, develops self-help skills, and helps to develop healthy eating habits.  Unfortunately, many children's cooking activities consist of making sweet treats, using ingredients like mixes and canned frosting, or combining different kinds of candies to make a product even though children enjoy making real food.  At a very young age children can make simple dishes like sandwiches and scrambled eggs by themselves.  As they grow they can progress to more complex dishes.  My grandson was making chicken pot pie for his family by the time that he was nine.  He had developed the skills that were needed and the interest in cooking by working in the kitchen with his mother from the time that he was old enough to stand next to her and stir.  He also enjoyed watching the cooking shows and picking out recipes that looked good.  His mother would then look up the recipe on the internet, help him to make a shopping list, take him to the store, and make the recipe for dinner.  In addition to all of the benefits of cooking, helping to make the list gave him a basis for developing literacy skills (vocabulary, the importance of reading and writing).  Going to the store with a list added to the literacy skill development, as well as critical thinking, math, and social skills.  All of this and a good dinner as well!