Cooking classes: Kids 6-15
Product Description
In our cooking classes for school-age children, we incorporate all of the most important aspects of any class: positive reinforcement, kitchen safety, healthy eating choices, and following directions. By keeping class sizes small, we are able to address individual children’s needs and tailor the teaching of various cooking skills and techniques to the child. For example, with children ages 8 and up, we encourage them to assist with any math calculations that are needed in a recipe, whereas with the younger children, we ask them only to follow directions and help us count to the needed amount.
We will stress kitchen safety, discuss eating habits with an assumption that we cook to eat healthy, and build on their previous kitchen experiences. Participation to encourage counting, following directions and estimating, as well as telling time, applying simple math skill and some reading will also be stressed.
By focusing on “why” foods are prepared the way they are and what history may exist behind the food or method of cooking, we begin creating associations to which the children may relate. This should also begin to offer an expanded view of the world and create similarities with other food cultures.
Basic chemistry and biology of food reaction will begin to be introduced, such as what makes bread rise or why we choose different temperatures for different foods or methods of cooking.
And of course, we will experiment with flavor: complimentary and opposing. We will use our senses to make educated guesses about our experimentation: smell, sight, intuition, and experience.
