Family Chemistry through Cooking

In my last blog post, I gave some advice about teaching your kids at home—read and cook. However, I never did get around to explaining the cooking part, did I? I won’t have so many links in this post, because cooking is all about hands-on time, but hopefully it will give you some ideas.

And cooking with your children works on so many levels.

Something as simple as letting children top their own lunch pizzas can teach life skills and create memories.

  

Life skills

Everyone needs to be able to cook. Boy, girl, young, old—there will always be a time when being able to cook will make the difference between a nutritious meal and a cup of Ramen. (I’m not knocking Ramen; it’s been my friend for many years. But every day? No thank you.) Along with basic cooking skills, you can work in lessons on nutrition, the food pyramid, and balanced meals. There’s an added bonus for older students, who can learn responsibility by being tasked with a larger role in meal planning and cooking.

Math

Counting, volume, measuring, completing tasks in the proper order, dividing, and multiplying—all of these math skills and more can be learned hands-on in the kitchen. How many eggs? Three. How much water does this measuring cup hold? Two cups. Want to double the recipe, or cut it in half? How do we do that? Unit conversions, time management…I’m sure you get the idea by now. It doesn’t have to be difficult. Cake mix, a batch of pancakes, or some muffins can work for youngsters, while older students can try more challenging recipes.

Chemistry

There’s so much chemistry in cooking, especially in baking. Explore how leavening agents like yeast, baking powder, and baking soda work. What are they, and why do we sometimes use one and not another? (And what’s the deal with sourdough? There’s some serious chemical reaction! See this fascinating NPR article on the Science Secrets of Sourdough.) What about oil, butter, and eggs? What are they for, and when—and why—can you make substitutions? Knowing how ingredients interact is a great starting point for chemistry.

Family bonding

This has nothing to do with academics, but it is probably the most important aspect to cooking as a family. For millennia, people have bonded over food. Working with your child, or as a whole family, to prepare a meal can bring your family together in a special way. Children and teens can feel that they’re valuable members of the family team. Family traditions can be passed down. Messes will be made, but so will memories. And when it comes down to it, memories are one of the best gifts you can give your children.

Those are a few of my thoughts. I hope they helped. Right now I’m on a total sourdough kick (Seriously. So. Much. Starter.), so maybe I’ll cover my sourdough adventures in another post. Right now, it’s time to go make some muffins, and some memories.