Want to Make Cooking Fun For The Entire Family? Here How…

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StevePeterson

Assistant Cook
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May 14, 2007
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Want to Make Cooking Fun For The Entire Family? Here's How…

In today’s world often we, as parents, don’t have the time or the energy to cook. Many of us work all day and the last thing we want to do when we get home is to cook a huge meal. We don’t want to spend time in the kitchen away from the rest of our family slaving over a hot stove. Cooking is just too boring and too time consuming.

Yet, we all watch the news and see how Americans are having problems with being overweight. Sure, we don’t want to take the time to cook a good meal but we can’t justify feeding our families something that isn’t nutritious and will only lead them a step closer to becoming overweight.

Involve Your Whole Family in Cooking

Luckily, there is a way to have the best of all worlds. The solution is obvious and very simple: Get the entire family involved in the cooking process.

When we involve the entire family – the kids and our spouse – cooking becomes a fun bonding experience. It also takes less time and can be a great learning experience for our children.

All Ages Can Help in the Kitchen

Even little kids can help with cooking meals. Of course they shouldn’t be near the oven or the stove but there are still plenty of things little kids can help with. For example, they can help mix-up salad, they can help stir ingredients into a mixture, they can set the table, they can pour in measured ingredients, and they can wash already dirtied pots, pans, bowls, and spoons.

Babies can even get-in on the fun. Just sit the baby in high chair or a play pen and give him/her a wooden spoon and a couple pots and pans. Or you can get down all the spices (in plastic bottles) and let the baby stack them like blocks. Just make sure the baby is kept away from everything that’s hot or sharp.

Older kids can be taught how to cook from beginning to end. You can give them the gift of knowing how to cook.

Create Lasting Memories

I’ll never forget how my grandmother used to make meals that her mother taught her 60 years earlier. She still remembered cooking with her mother. It was a time that she valued her entire life.

Wouldn’t it be great to have your children telling their grandchildren how you taught them to cook?

Cooking is Educational

Finally, cooking teaches a child fractions and measurements. It also allows a child to see that math is used in everyday life. If you’re using a cookbook (which you probably are) you’re child can also practice their reading comprehension skills.

Finally…

Cooking doesn’t have to be a lonely, boring experience. You can make cooking fun and family friendly. Get the entire family involved with cooking meals and instead of dreading coming home to the kitchen, you’ll spend your entire day looking forward to it!
 
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Thanks for sharing your ideals. I love the neighborhood block parties, community festivals, social potlucks. In the winter time, it's hot cocoa as you stroll along the river bank and watch the reflections on the icy waters. Now that it is Spring, we will all be planting beautiful scenery and sharing our garden baskets with our neighbors.

It's time to make picnic baskets and reload the hiking pack. The family is off to the parks, trails and camp grounds.
 
StirBlue: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the article. Block Parties just don't seem as popular these days as I remembered them when I was a kid. I remember roping off the entire street and all the neighbors setting up tables, games for the kids, etc.

mish: Yes, nice to meet you too!

I'm curious, are other parents including their kids in the cooking experience? What are you doing to make it fun?

Steve
 
When we think of people eating alone, we envision adults. But in this day and age most often the people who eat alone are children with some of them as young as 10 years old. With their adult parents working and involved with business meetings, children are making their own meals. Sometimes there is more than one child at home and often it is a baby in a high chair being cared for by an older brother or sister.
Having the family sharing a cooking experience in the kitchen is about as obsolete as a block party. The only adult serving a meal in the home these days is the Pizza Delivery Person.
Children have become welcome patrons in restaurants.....when once they had to be accompanied by an adult.
Much of the information given for the last census records was provided by children.
 
Certainly, it is a challenge these days with the busy schedules of Moms and Dads.

Teaching the kids to learn to cook is a priority in our family, especially with my wife who doesn't want the boys to grow up being helpless in the "cooking department".

Our youngest boy gets the biggest kick out of being responsible for cracking open the eggs (we're patient digging out egg shells).

Our older boy helps with chopping, grating, etc.

It's extra work, but in the long run, I think it's worth it.

Anyone else trying little projects like these?

Steve
 
In my life, I've raised 8 children. The last 5 were the family Buck and I created and it consisted of 4 boys and one girl. They all learned how to handle themselves quite capably in the kitchen.

Our oldest, who will be 37 in August, is a very accomplished cook, as is our daughter. The ones who have children of their own are teaching them kitchen skills, too. All 5 of them enjoy good food and are open to new foods. It's the way they were brought up.

As children, they "helped" in the kitchen. Sometimes the help was more of a hindrance, but we were happy they were in the kitchen and learning even if it was a bit slow and sloppy.
 
I raised 4 children and have 3 grands. 3 of my 4 are accomplished in the kitchen. My daugher in law is a culinary grad/chef/now a stay at home mom. They do more take out than I would, but she does cook and involve her little ones. We all have a good time in the kitchen together. Mother's day was spent in the kitchen & at the grill all enjoying. My 4 range in age from 40 to 27. I'm so lucky.
 
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