They have each told me that they want to help with Thanksgiving dinner. This of course means that dinner will take me twice as long (and there will be at least one fight during the dinner making process.)
But I honestly believe that it's really good for kids to help you in the kitchen. There are many skills that they can learn. If nothing else though it gives me time to talk to the girls about random things. Conversations seem to flow easier in the kitchen don't they? I learn about the girls likes and dislikes, friends, and gossip.
The topic of what ingredients are "healthy" normally comes up. I have explained more than once about how butter isn't necessarily unhealthy you just need to limit it. 1 cookie is okay but, if you eat the whole batch then it's not.
I let the girls measure everything even if there's nothing else for them to do. This is excellent practice for fractions. How do you double a recipe? Or, I need 1 cup for flour but only have a 1/3 cup. How do I do this?
Baye enjoys stirring and dumping. This works on a toddler's motor skills.
My kids are very creative. They love to do arts and crafts. Cooking is another way that a person can express themselves. Like in the photo of the cookies. The girls get to decorate those themselves. We end up with some of the most interesting cookies.
Math isn't the only class that kids get real world applications of while cooking. Cooking also teaches them about science. What makes bread rise?
You have to wait while your bread rises right? Well, this is a lesson in patience. Cooking requires a ton of patience. My kids DEFINITELY need to learn this (don't most children though?)
I love the look on their face when they taste something and figure out that they made something awesome. It's a major self-confidence booster.
If nothing else, cooking is a skill that everyone needs later in life. You really can't live a 100% healthy life on packaged microwave food.
Sorry that this post was so scattered. My brain isn't working really well today. So if you made it through this post then congrats! So, question for you: Do your kids like to cook? Do you allow them to help?
Side note: I read on SparkPeople.com this morning that Thanksgiving meals can have over 4500 calories and 229 grams of fat. That's disgusting! For low-calorie, low-fat Thanksgiving recipes take a look at my Thanksgiving menu recipe post. ( ) And read the whole article I found this fact on HERE.
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