Kids in the kitchen

Teaching kids how to cook and care for a kitchen is a must, particularly if they are future missionaries! I was not a member when I taught my boys to cook, but at first when it was mentioned the kitchen was cleared of boys pronto causing much laughter. Now they can cook as good as anyone

Kids in the Kitchen

by Lorae Bowden

With the return of school and the daily grind of schedules, it’s time for education of another kind: kitchen savvy. Teaching kids to know their way around the kitchen can save you time, money, and heartache.


My daughter Sarah came dejectedly home from the first day of "real cooking" in her sixth grade home economics class. "It wasn't what I thought," she confessed. The first project - smoothies - had turned out wonderfully, but was too basic for an 11-year-old who regularly bakes bread at home. What shocked her most, however, was that she had been the only member of her group who had ever hand-washed dishes. "They didn't know that dishes should be washed in hot water," she exclaimed, "or how much soap to use, or that the soap should be rinsed off!"



I sympathize with middle and high school home ec teachers, who try to give a fulfilling experience to both kids who can make a meal from scratch as well as kids who have never warmed up a TV dinner in the microwave - all in the same class period.



There are so many great extracurricular options for improving children's opportunities that many parents don't consider basic cooking and cleanup to be a priority for their kids. On the other hand, here are a few things to think about.



Save Time and Money
Teaching children to cook can dramatically cut home food costs. Real cooking is definitely cheaper than restaurants, fast food, and even frozen or pre-packaged meals. Besides, kids need more to do than play computer games, right? Have them cut up veggies for a stir-fry or peel potatoes for a soup.



Better Health
Research shows that today's kids will have shorter life spans with more health problems than their parents - a first in centuries. A lack of understanding food and how it works is part of that problem. Children who know how to cook are more aware of the health benefits of food and feel more in control of the food choices they make.



Lifetime Benefit
Kitchen skills will benefit children their whole lives. Most of us put our kids in sports, dance, and music because we want them to learn internal skills like sportsmanship, collaboration, communication, discipline, and determination - not because we expect them to be a pro ball player or prima ballerina or concertmistress. Physical skill takes second place to the character built. However, cooking, menu planning, grocery shopping, and washing dishes build character and useful skills that last a lifetime.



Learning how to cook builds self-esteem, sibling and parent connections, and family values, not to mention reading, math, and science skills. Put a child in charge of dinner for a night, and watch him or her learn responsibility and love it!



Kids want to feel grown up and in charge, so why not let them? Admittedly, it might take a little extra parenting effort at first, but eventually it pays off and you can take a break from a meal once in a while. Even parents who let their very young children help out in the kitchen will find that the involvement leads to less picky eaters and helps eradicate much of the before-dinner chaos.



Here are some age-appropriate ideas to get you and your kids started toward some great kitchen memories and skill learning.



Ages 2–4




Set the table. Learn visual place setting, count number of people, make sure all components are there—forks, knives, cups, napkins, etc.

Put condiments on the table—salt, pepper, butter, dressing, etc.

Talk about foods that are healthy "all the time" foods or less healthy "sometimes" foods.


Ages 5–7



Get things from freezer or pantry; open cans, stir, make toast.

Dish cleaning - wash, dry, load dishwasher, rinse off food, compost.

Note food groups used in a meal.


Ages 8–10

Make a green or fruit salad, peel and cut vegetables, and slice bread.

Measure ingredients and follow a simple recipe.

Dish cleaning—all aspects.

Put away leftovers properly.

Evaluate a meal for its health and use of food groups.

Discuss which dishes or ingredients were least or most expensive.


Ages 10 and up

Make a simple meal or dessert and clean it up.

Help plan the menu for the week and discuss whether it is healthy and uses all food groups.

Help shop for meal ingredients and calculate per person cost of a dinner, a day's meals, or a week's meals.


Maybe it's time to add some kitchen time to family time. How are your kids going to stack up when they are adults and in charge of their own eating? Will they know the basics of living on their own? We have seen a strong economy founder. While we hope the best for our kids, knowing how to be frugal and work with their food resources is critical to self-sufficiency. Kitchen savvy is a big part of that preparation.

LDS Living, September/October 2010.

Arabella

Arabella by Georgette Heyer




What a delightful writer Gerogette Heyer is. I laughed at the subtle antics of the ton in London where Arabella had gone from Yorkshire, as a Vicar's daughter, to stay with her Godmother who was to introduce her to society. Heyer wove a plot in the eyes of the rakish Mr Beaumaris who fell in love, against his will, with Arabella, but that lady's anger and subsequent disclosure of 'being very wealthy' was almost her undoing. A great read and read it in two days!



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Elder Robert D Hales Return

"Return with honor" is a call that has become familiar to every Latter-day Saint. For Elder Robert D. Hales, this stirring directive was his unit's motto when he served as a jet fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, and he uses it often in his teaching. During his military days, the motto was a constant and powerful reminder to complete each mission honorably - and now it reminds us, the Lord's children, that what we do on earth can make it possible to return with honor to our heavenly home.


A beloved member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Hales writes with keen insight and compassion about the orderly preparations we need to make as we travel through mortality. Our journey of life has four vital stages:
•Decades of Preparation
•Decade of Decision
•Decades of Serving and Pressing Forward
•Decades of Serving and Enduring to the End

Elder Hales considers each of these essential periods using vivid stories from his own life, compelling scriptural insights, and the wisdom he has gained through a tender relationship with the Savior.

Whatever your stage in life, the message Elder Hales offers in Return: Four Phases of Our Moral Journey Home is clear: Keeping sacred covenants, prayerfully making life's important decisions, and embracing the Savior and His Atonement can prepare you for eternal life - the greatest gift of God. This volume is an inspired guide to your journey home.

Temples

I am half an hour from this Temple and go often

Little Women

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott




I have read this book often as I own it, and can never feel bored . I have learnt how challenges can be faced no matter what the adversity is. I love it and admire the writer's skill. Louisa M Alcott certainly had it. The follow ups, Little Men, Jo's Boys, are equally as good



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Passages to the Past: Review: The de Lacy Inheritance by Elizabeth Ashw...

Passages to the Past: Review: The de Lacy Inheritance by Elizabeth Ashw...: "The de Lacy Inheritanceby Elizabeth Ashworth Publication Date:  July 14, 2010Myrmidon Books256p SYNOPSIS:  Using characters known to record..."

Anne Bradshaw's Place

Anne Bradshaw's Place
Wednesday, September 1, 2010Guest Blogger--Author Susan Dayley
Anne Bradshaw writes: I'm happy to welcome author Susan Dayley to my blog today. Her post made me chuckle, since her day sounds much like many of mine, except mine begin even earlier.

When you've read the post, check out the trailer below for Susan's new book, Redemption. I really enjoyed watching and listening.

A Day in the Life of a Middle-aged, First-time Author
Now that my children are grown and I no longer teach school, I sometimes get asked that question, “So, what do you do all day?” I used to answer, “I’ve been writing.” But then they’d ask, “Yeah, but besides that. . .” I guess my first book didn’t make much of an impression. Now I just say, “Oh, well, I spend time on Facebook.” That gets me a superior over-the-glasses look.

Then I decided to track my day and now when I get that question I can just hand out a business card with a link to this post.

6:15 am: I’m awake. Ever since my dad used to wake us with the volume on the stereo cranked up while playing John Phillip Sousa at 5:30am and his voice booming from the top of the stairs, “scriptures and prayers in five minutes,” I rarely sleep in. A few minutes later I am at my computer, two pairs of glasses balanced on my nose, (reading and regular) and still in my pajamas, trying to finish up the chapter I started the rewrite on last night.

7:30 am: My husband is up and I can now get a work out in without disturbing him. Wahoo. I drag myself off to put on some baggy green sweats and an ugly T-shirt. Sherlock, my black cat keeps attacking while I do hand weights. He wants me on the treadmill so he can lay on the hot surface afterwards. Sherlock thinks I’m his personal slave.

9 am: Showered, make-up, and contacts in place I am back at my computer with a bowl of watermelon. I check my blog stats. The 0 seems to suggest something. Is it that nobody knows about my blog, or am I over-promoting and everyone has hid me on FB? or is it the content (gasp)? How many blogs out there are writing about writing anyway? Oh, that many huh? Back to the rewrite.

1 pm: My husband comes in and starts opening the fridge and the pantry. I look at the clock and realize it’s time to pull out the makings for tacos complete with veggie “ground” and almond cheese. In our family our grown new age children are the junk food carnivores and the parents are 80-90% whole grain vegan. Go figure.

“I hope he doesn’t get hair all over,” my husband says. I become aware that Sherlock is on my lap. He looks up at me like, “What?”

3 pm: Lunch is done, dishwasher unloaded and reloaded, laundry shifted, floors mopped, half the house dusted. Time to check emails: Daily chapters, storytellers, copyblogger, and FB posts where I ‘like’ the new pics of my granddaughter. Also plan tomorrow’s blog post. Maybe I can get some views in the double digits!

4 pm: Back to writing.

6 pm: Husband is back at the fridge. “How about some granola?” I offer. “Or a frozen waffle with blueberries?” He’s good with that. But it’s time to give him some attention and fold some laundry. Sherlock is also complaining that it’s his dinner time. Ok, but then he’s going outside.

8 pm: Check other people’s blogs and plan Sharing Time. I really need to get back to writing. I call to Sherlock, but he doesn’t want to come in.

9:32 pm: Sherlock finally comes in but insists that I walk him down to bed. I have chosen to ignore him as payback for not coming when I called earlier. I still have another chapter to rewrite and the thunderstorms have left the house muggy.

10:26 pm: I was working on a scene in which a room of men ridicule a messenger from the king of Judah when an email arrives from my husband. He’s found an alternative way to get my attention. The subject says “Lighten Up!!!!!” Can he read what I’m writing? I take a moment to laugh at the pictures. Sometime in the last hour he must have gone by me to put Sherlock to bed and is now shutting down his computer. Maybe I’ll just finish this one chapter.

10:59 pm: My husband has come to retrieve me. Oops, when did I start a new chapter? Time to shut down and call it a night. I mention that the lightning is magnificent. He replies it has been for some time now.

6:21 am: I am back at the computer in my pajamas with two pairs of glasses on my nose.