Here at Veggienauts HQ, we’re on a mission to make food and learning fun. Cooking with kids can be chaotic, but amongst the madness there are so many exciting opportunities to learn.
Here are some of our kitchen classroom favourites.
Reading
From shopping lists to recipe instructions, reading is an essential skill when it comes to cooking. Younger cooks will enjoy identifying letters on our recipe cards - e.g. ‘C is for cauliflower’ - or being read aloud to, whilst older children can gain real confidence by reading and following instructions by themselves.
Writing
Writing out and/or drawing steps for a favourite recipe is a great activity for little learners of all ages. Record favourite recipes and observations in your Veggienauts log book, or why not encourage your little cook to start their own recipe book?
Maths
Maths is everywhere you look in the kitchen, from measuring out ingredients to setting a timer. Encourage younger cooks to count scoops or spoonfuls out loud or identify single numbers on packaging or scales.
Science
What makes cakes rise? Volume vs weight. Liquids vs solids. Science is a cook’s best friend and the kitchen is a brilliant place to experiment, often with delicious results. Our boxes often include separate foodie science experiments - some edible, some not, so read the instructions carefully!
Art
If cooking is a science, there’s also place in the kitchen for art. Decorating cupcakes, preparing a beautiful vegetable platter or even laying the table and folding napkins are all opportunities for children to express their artistic side.
History & culture
Every ingredient has a history. Our hero ingredient fact files include information about where vegetables come from and recipes are inspired by different cuisines around the world.
Nutrition
Cooking together can provide the perfect opportunity to talk about the benefits of individual ingredients with your child. Orange foods give you super sight. Red foods keep your heart strong. Maybe runner beans help you run faster?!
Organization
Not a topic you’ll find on the curriculum but one we could all do with more of. Portioning out equal quantities of dough for cookies, stacking bowls or loading the dishwasher are all examples of tasks that engage your child’s frontal lobe.
Confidence and independence
Understanding food, how to shop for, prepare and make their own recipes are skills that set children up for life. Most of our recipes and activities require some adult supervision, but try to let your child have as much autonomy as possible and they’ll really reap the benefits.
Safety
Which brings us nicely to our final lesson, safety. With open flames, ovens, sharp knives, blenders, graters and more, the kitchen is a potentially dangerous place for small children. But with the right discussions they can learn important life lessons. Talk about the safe way to handle certain implements, the importance of staying away from the oven or maybe even write up a list of kitchen safety rules to stick on the fridge.
