Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom: Cooking With Kids

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Cooking With Kids

I am a firm believer that all kids should learn how to cook (just ask any 4-H'er that wasn't enrolled in foods before they met me). Everyone has to eat everyday and eating out can be super expensive and not very healthy. Both of my boys are very handy in the kitchen and I have taught at least 3 girls that I can think of how to bake some amazing bread.

Why Teach Kids how to Cook?

The will take a lot of pride in making something for the whole family.
They will be more likely to eat what they make.

It teaches them to read and follow directions in order.
They learn about fractions and additions without realizing it.

If you think about it, cooking and baking is really edible chemistry and biology. They can learn about different reactions, sugar feeding yeast, changes of state of matter and so much more.

The boys have also baked me so many things that we have donated them to baked food sales and learned that they can help other kids struggling with illness with their talents.

It is a great time to teach kids about food safety. The earlier we learn something, the more it becomes a habit of a lifetime. Why not teach them how to keep themselves safe when it comes to food handling at a young age.

My question is Why wouldn't you teach your kids to cook?

The following are all recipes my boys have helped make at one time or another. Some they required some assistance and others they are fully capable of themselves.