Anuradha Nayar
The kitchen can be a fascinating place for young kids. They see grown-ups working briskly in there, watch the steam rise from pots on the stove, and smell what’s on the menu that night. Teaching your kids how to cook will not only help equip them for a healthier, simpler life once they leave home – but it’s actually a really great way to help them learn. Kids who can cook develop confidence and self-assurance and a greater understanding of the world in a range of ways. There’s nothing like a sense of achievement to improve self-esteem. Cooking is a great way to boost children’s confidence as the results are quick – and there for the whole family to enjoy. It’s surprising how a fussy kid will try a new food when it’s something he’s cooked himself. Give your child the option of two different veggies to include with dinner, find a recipe and let him help cut and cook up the vegetable. Cooking helps children understand why we eat the foods we do – what foods go well together, and what we need to include for a balanced meal.
Children learn by touching, tasting, seeing, feeling and listening. Cooking activities are ideal for children because all their senses are stimulated by this experience. When a child’s senses are engaged as they are during cooking experiences, learning becomes more meaningful and memorable. Through experience with food children as young as three years old can successfully learn the concept of eating variety of foods.
Cooking experiences also build the child’s knowledge and skills in science, math, reading and communication. Cooking can be thought of as science experiences that a child can eat. When they are with us in the kitchen and cooking, they observe the changes in food ingredients. The touch of food makes them learn about temperature differences as hot and cold. They understand what is floating, sinking, dissolving melting and freezing. During cooking experience, children learn math skills such as counting and following instructions. References to simple concepts about quantity and conversations about colour, texture, shape and sizes frequently occur which make the children aware of these concepts. Cooking also involves reading and communicating. Children vocabulary is enriched as they learn new terms in recipies such as stir, blend, slice, shred and freeze.
Food nourishes our bodies, provide comfort and can symbolise love and security. When children help in the preparation of a meal, they feel they are making an important contribution to the adult world. This fills them with a sense of pride, personal satisfaction and self confidence. When a child is introduced to cooking and encouraged to cook we are telling him that” You are a big help” “ you can do this”
and “You are important”. These statements are undoubtedly the laying stones for their immense self confidence. Let us all start boosting their confidence atleast in this way.
Remember to step back and let them do things by themselves– after showing them the safest way to do everything of course!
Omelette Wrap Ingredients Eggs 2 Cheese slices 2 Chopped onions ½ cup Chopped green chillies ½ cup Chopped tomato ½ cup Chopped coriander leaves ½ cup Chopped carrot and cabbage ½ cup Boiled and mashed Potatoes ½ cup Potato chips powdered to coarse grains Sweet chilly sauce Soya sauce Salt to taste
Directions Break the eggs and mix it with 3 spoons chopped onions, 3 spoons chopped tomato, 3 spoons chopped carrot and cabbage, 1 spoon chopped green chillies, 1 spoon chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste. Make it in to a big omelette. Mix the rest of the chopped veggies with little salt, a small spoon soya sauce and a small spoon sweet chilly sauce. Use the chillies according to you taste. Mix the mashed potatoes with little salt and a pinch of sugar. You should be careful in the use of salt as the omelette, the veggies and the sauces have salt in them. Keep the omlette on an aluminium foil. Spread the cheese slices on it. Over it spread the mashed potatoes. Then spread the mixed veggies. Again spread the mashed potatoes on it. Then sprinkle a considerable amount of powdered potato chips on it. Now roll the aluminium foil. Your omelette wrap is ready.