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(Unit 5) Topic 8: Cooking Up Fun!

4 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Cooking is King

Topic 8 Page 2

With childhood obesity rates soaring in most developed countries, cooking with children has become a major conversation piece and priority in many households and school programs in the United States. Cooking is not only necessary for survival but it is necessary for teaching healthy food choices and what ingredients combine to make food items. Children will begin to learn that you don’t have to add unpronounceable items to make a loaf of bread. Eventually when they go to the supermarket they will look at the ingredient lists on packages and evaluate whether it is a healthy food choice.

Getting children of all ages involved in cooking snacks and meals gives them valuable experiences with fine and gross motor skills, social experiences, executive function skill refinement, math practice and more. The simple act of combining ingredients to make a snack or a meal provides muscle movements that strengthen developing muscular systems. Tearing pieces of lettuce for a salad exercises small muscles in the hands and wrists. Stirring a bowl of batter exercises large muscles in the arms and shoulders. Talking with friends and teachers about what step is next, where a vegetable comes from, or how much flour to add provides valuable social experiences. Following multi step directions and recalling past experiences and knowledge refines executive function skills. Measuring 1 cup of raisins with half a cup of peanuts, almonds, and cashews to make a simple trail mix is a real-life math equation. Cooking adds so much value to everyday tasks and turns academic ideas into applicable experience.

According to Jamie Oliver, whose mission is to end childhood obesity, cooking with kids creates magic and gives them skills and tools to be healthy and live longer!