Its always a pleasure to share this space with people who can bring value to your family. Chef Arlena of Children's Culinary Institute is a respected colleague, chef, and an expert at engaging children in the kitchen. When she asked me to review her books (which I loved and look forward to posting reviews) I was thrilled. After reading them I knew I wanted to share some of her expertise with you here on the blog. I'm confident these her knowledge is going to be helpful seizing all the Playportunities your kitchen has to offer.
Why should we teach kids in the kitchen?
Several decades ago, it was heresy to talk about an impending pandemic of obesity across the globe. Clearly diets and activity patterns have changed drastically over time in the US and around the world. By the 1980’s we understood that the quality of US diets was worsening, physical activity was drastically reduced, and obesity was rising across the US and Europe. At that point, only the US was considered a country with an obesity problem: more than half of adults in some age-gender-race-ethnic specific subpopulations were overweight or obese. Home economics courses were fading from schools, processed food and prepared meals were increasingly common, and away from home eating and fast food was becoming a major part of our lives. Health professionals became increasingly concerned about a wider array of health conditions related to obesity, and rightly so.
Being a part of the solution can be as easy as sharing what you know with your own kids, getting them into a cooking class, or even sharing your kitchen skills with others in your community.
Cooking is one of the best ways to get hands on with science, math, health, reading, and following directions. Even geography and history can be reinforced in the kitchen. Most people learn so much better when we are able to do what we are learning and not just see or hear it.
To help get more families in the excited about the Playportunities their kitchen holds, Children's Culinary Institute recently published a set of books that highlight the childhood and lives of some historical chefs that changed the world. Our hope is that reading these books will help our children understand our food future. The future of food production, sales, cultivations, and preparation is in the hands of a younger generation. New generations have less and less food knowledge than the ones prior that is why its vital that we step in to give them the knowledge and tools to succeed. Cooking is a life skill, we are all humans and have to eat. How well we eat is dependent on our knowledge and confidence in the kitchen. We can help our kids learn how farming effects our planet as a whole, understand seasonal and fresh foods, and even help diversify their pallets through the work we do with them in the kitchen . Picky eating is often curbed when kids are allowed to see, handle and even participate in the making of their own meals. Understanding and feeling sense of ownership over a food that is on their plate goes a long way in aiding their decisions to try new things.
-NOW AND THEN: The Global Nutrition Transition Barry M. Popkin, Linda S. Adair, and Shu Wen Ng
What is Children’s Culinary Institute ? We are an organisation of avid home cooks who all have the goal of working with the kids in our lives to fill the community need surround proper food education.
We use a chef written curriculum and share our skills in our communities in order to make a better food future.
Find our books on Amazon and show your kids through the beautiful art work and the encouraging words how much of an impact they can have on the world. We are always happy to answer any questions at childrensculinaryinstitute@gmail.com
Some of our favorite tools for teaching in your kitchen?
Great books : The Usborne First Cookbook
Changing the World One Kitchen at a Time Fun kitchen ideas: Cooking Birthday Party
How to Join us as an instructor:
This is just dip into how and why Chef Arlena recommends you get into the
kitchen with your littles! Working with Children's Culinary Institute will provide
lasting value to your children and many generations to come. They are absolutely incredible and will provide you with so many more tips and tricks to help you get the absolute most out of a healthy relationship with food! You can follow Children's Culinary Institute on Facebook and Instagram for great recipes, tips for teaching kids in the kitchen, and how to join their program from wherever you are. There is even a free printable lesson once a month that you can do at home, with your homeschool group, or any kids in your life!