WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Basic Cooking Skills for Kids

"Cooking with kids is not just about recipes, ingredients, and cooking.  It's about harnessing imagination, empowerments, and creativity." 

                                                                                                   --Guy Fieri

There used to be a high school class called “Home Ec” or home economics.  Girls took home ec and boys took shop.  Girls learned about cooking, managing a household budget, and even how to repair household appliances.  Boys learned about power tools and how to build stuff. 

I am not sure why home ec faded away, but we need to bring it back. 

All kids need to know how to feed themselves.  BASIC. COOKING. SKILLS.  Working with Growing Healthy Kids to plan and deliver workshops for kids has taught me that most kids are not given the opportunity to learn how to cook and prepare delicious, whole foods.  So many kids exhibit desperate behaviors when we begin a series of workshops.  Some will attempt to grab foods on the prep table to shove in their mouths, most do not know how to set a table, and only a few have been taught at home how to properly and safely use a knife to chop and dice vegetables. 

Start building a kitchen tool collection for your kids and support kids to learn how to prepare delicious recipes using fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Not sure where to start?  Here are 3 kitchen tools every kid needs for cooking adventures in the kitchen:

1. A microplane (garlic, lemons, limes, turmeric, and ginger)
2. A lemon squeezer (lemons and limes)
3. A peeler (for making zucchini pasta)

Eat real food. 

With love,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.