Teaching your kids about cooking BEYOND the kitchen

There are many opportunities to teach your kids to cook. Different seasons of the year bring excellent times for cooking with your kids whether it is gingerbread houses in December or chocolate eggs in Springtime. Autumn time brings apple recipes and pumpkin dishes to teach. But don't forget the teaching moments beyond your own kitchen. Here are a few ideas.

1.Grow a garden. Kids love to get dirty so this is a great activity for them to get started with. In winter you can grow herbs or even pea shoots inside. During gardening season give your child an area to plant and let them be in charge. Not only will they love to watch things grow they will sample the vegetables they are cultivating.

2.Tour factories. If you are lucky to have a food factory in your area, they often will give tours of how the factory is run.

3.Bakeries. Like factories many local bakeries if asked for a tour are happy to give kids this learning experience.

4.Restaurants. At slow times local restaurants may also be willing to give tours of there kitchen. This really gives those kids interested in cooking a bird's eye view of how things are run behind the scenes.

5.Professional chef. Do you have a professional chef in your area? Try looking at specialty kitchen shops, restaurants, personal chefs or even a cooking loving mom, dad or grandma can be a lot of fun giving a cooking presentation or lesson.

6.Kitchen specialty stores. Take a tour of a kitchen specialty shop and your kids can learn all about different appliances, kitchen utensils and more. This can really spark the interest of kid chefs.

7.Decorate or sew an apron. Buy a plain apron and let kids decorate it or find a pattern to sew for a simple apron.

8.Make pot holders. A simple idea for pot holders is to cut out designs or shapes out of an old or new ironing board cover. They make great pot holders and are sensitive to heat.

9.Involve your kids in grocery shopping. Sometimes it is easier for a mom or dad to go shopping without the kids but getting them involved can teach them a lot about healthy food, cooking and planning meals.

10.Let your kids help in planning meals. Work together as a team planning out the next week's menu and make sure they understand why boxed macaroni and cheese and chocolate cake isn't the best and healthiest option each night.

Teaching your kids about healthy eating and the many aspects of cooking is a great foundation when your kids are learning to cook. Cooking can bring a lot of fun and memorable times for the whole family.

Article Source: http://articles411.com

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