Encourage Your Kids To Cook

We've talked a lot about teaching your kids to cook here on Planet Green. I think it is an extremely important life skill, especially for those who are concerned about the environment. If your children know how to make a basic pasta, or tofu stir-fry, they won't be filling up on excessively packaged microwave foodstuffs that contain all kinds of chemicals they shouldn't be eating. If they understand eating foods in season they won't be buying asparagus from Peru or sugar snap peas from China during the winter. They will make healthy eating choices instead of grabbing a fast food burger. They may even become vegetarians like both of my children.

Whenever I talk to parents of young children, eating is a big topic. There's no question that many children are picky eaters, and they like things that are familiar to them. In a way, that makes sense. If you are four years old, every day is filled with new and sometimes difficult learning experiences. Maybe by the time you sit down to dinner, you'd just like to have something that you already know will taste good. We know that you may have to expose your child to a new food many times before they are willing to try it, so don't give up. Pediatrician Dr. Cheryl Mutch has just written a new cookbook based on Canada's new food guide entitled The Good Food Book for Families. She says one reason children may be picky is because they drink too much fruit juice which fills them up so they aren't hungry at mealtimes. The Canada Food Guide says children should drink a maximum of one half cup of juice per day. I suspect most kids drink considerably more than that.

There's a new cooking school for children in Toronto called Rising Chefs, which also helps get kids cooking. They have cooking classes where children do age appropriate tasks towards the creation of a meal. Children as young as 3 can participate. They have a story time where they eat a snack that relates to the book being read to them and it encourages them to try new things. But the idea I like best is their recipe box. Every month the child receives a box which includes a recipe card, the ingredients to make the recipe and a child-sized kitchen tool such as a wooden spoon for their collection. My kids would have swooned with excitement if they got something like that delivered to them. The service from Rising Chefs is a bit pricey, but I bet you you could put the elements together yourself and find a grandma or an uncle who would be willing to send it to your home. It seems like a great way to get your kids excited about cooking and eating.

The photo above is of my children Hugh and Emma showing off a birthday cake they made. Now adults, they are both great cooks.

Difficulty level: Easy