We are coming up on our the last class of the first round of Kids Cook! with our "traveling kitchen". It was great to having multi-aged boys and girls in the class, and even better to see their confidence and self-esteem grow with each passing task.
While I am well-aware of the fact that confidence comes from a sense of competence, actually witnessing their achievements and growing self-esteem as they slice through a strawberry with a sharp knife, measure just the right amount of liquid, or turn flour, water, and salt into a pretzel is a feeling that can’t be beat.
Cooking is an excellent activity to build skills. Measuring, following the sequence of a recipe, watching chemical changes as you mix things together helps to develop Math, Science, and Reading acuity.
Waiting for your turn, for the dough to rise, for the muffins to finish cooking builds patience.
Cleaning up your workspace and the surrounding area builds responsibility.
The sense of accomplishment at completion is undeniable.
And working with a group to make something, not to mention eating the finished product, builds community.
As an added bonus, kids will eat, or at least taste, foods they've previously shunned when they have a hand in making the dishes.
I can go on and on and on....
What if you don't have cooking facilities where you are? Or it's just too hot to turn on the oven?
My "traveling kitchen" arose out of my wanting to bring cooking into the classroom. Armed with a toaster over and hot plate we began. It was so popular, I expanded into other classrooms, then other programs.
If you’d like to know more about KIDS COOK!, either the standard or the Traveling Kitchen version, click here.
Mary Kerwin is an expert in helping kids to develop the confidence and self-esteem skills that they need to thrive now, and grow into happy, confident, successful adults. She is an educator, and both a Certified Health Coach and Wisdom Coach®, and founder of Confident Kids Now. Her life’s work has been in Education, spending more than 40 years as a classroom teacher. Her mission has always been to foster and develop each child to see their unlimited potential. She works with children in person - individually and in group workshops such as the Kids Cook! Program. Her work with adults is both in person and virtual. She speaks to, and works with, child-centric groups such as Parent Teacher Organizations, Parent Support Groups, Holistic Health Professionals, and AfterSchool Programs.