If you're like many parents of young school-aged children during this particular time in history, you've been muddling along the best you can with online schooling and other activities that have suddenly become mandatory because of the pandemic. However, you probably wouldn't be normal if you weren't struggling with finding enough for the children to do — after all, they can't do schoolwork all the time. You probably also want to limit their time on social media or playing video games, but at the same time, it's likely that you're understandably struggling to come up with ideas to keep them engaged and focused on positive activities.
This may be a good time to introduce your children to the art of home cooking. There's a big difference between teaching children to cook and getting them interested in cooking. Anyone can learn the basics of food preparation and go through the motions of preparing meals, but an authentic interest in cooking is something that will stay with them for the rest of their lives — and few people would disagree that any meal tastes better when it's crafted with love and care. Following are three suggestions for sparking a culinary fire in school-aged children.
Plant a Garden
Children are naturally curious, and planting a garden provides a great way to combine basic botany lessons with an introduction to cooking. Many parents complain that their children typically don't care for vegetables, but there's something about growing something yourself that whets the appetite. Fresh vegetables also taste better, and most children can't resist the sense of accomplishment gained by growing something for the family table. Choosing vegetables that children tend to like anyway helps — who doesn't like corn on the cob? You can also grow potatoes and make French fries out of them.
Involve Them in the Meal Planning Process
Children like to be involved in planning family activities, so why not get them engaged in the meal planning process? They'll learn about balancing meals to include something from each of the four food groups, about proper nutrition, and even receive an introduction to the basics of household budgeting.
Bake Gourmet Cookies
Cookies are often among a child's first culinary effort for a reason — they're relatively simple to make, they don't take much time, and they're very forgiving because they'll probably still taste good even if they don't come out perfect. Turning it up a notch by baking gourmet cookies makes it more fun and interesting, and your children will very likely fall so in love with the end product that it'll spark a lifelong love of baking and cooking in the home kitchen.
Share29 May 2020
When was the last time you cooked a really terrific meal for your family? I started thinking more seriously about cooking a few years ago, and it occurred to me that I really needed to do what I could to save time and money. I started by working towards using fewer ingredients and really sustaining nutrition, and it was awesome to see things come together. Within a few short months, I could tell that I was doing something that really made a difference, and it was fun to see how much healthier we were all eating. Check out this blog for great information on cooking smarter.
