Cooking for Life

In our classrooms, cooking projects are part of the classroom experience on a very regular basis.  If the cook is willing, we even get them in the classroom to help out; this serves as to show the children a little bit about what people in their community do.  Most of our cooks are very willing for this and actually look forward to cooking days in the classroom.

See, in reality, it makes their lives easier.  Why?  Because the children, when they cook, make the meal for the day; if the cook comes to the classroom, the class makes the meal for ALL the classrooms for the day.

At times, the children may make cookies, cakes, and other treats; when they do, they make it FROM SCRATCH, not from a box.

However, most of the time, they are making lunches and snacks that are healthy and nutritious.  Why?  Because we want the children to be able to cook HEALTHY MEALS for themselves.  This is a skill that children will need to know as they grow older, even into adulthood.

It also gives them a firm foundation and healthy eating practices.  It’s always fun to see a mom or a volunteer or a student teacher come in and watches in amazement (jaws hitting the floor) as children clean their plates from a fresh salad and they are fighting to get the last of it.

They do this because they make it themselves, and not from a bag, either.  No, they grow it in our gardens, clean and chop the veggies, mix the dressing, and toss it themselves.

Yes, we teach children the skills they are going to need in LIFE, not just in school.