From Garden to Table: the Adventures of Kitchen Creations
This past fall as our gardening season came to a close, we began a super exciting program to keep our focus on the growing power of the garden. Fresh foods and vegetables became our anchor for our new program that focused on cooking, called Kitchen Creations.
It has been amazing sharing this experience with our visitors. Plus it has been fun to be able to share what we make! The experience completely echoes the idea that kids should and can help in the kitchen. Last fall, the New York Times ran an article titled Cooking With Kids: 5 Reasons You Should Be Doing It
It outlines five key points that go beyond supporting bringing kids into the cooking process; they cement the idea of participation. Facilitating the Kitchen Creations program here at the Museum, we see these play out in real-time. Their five points ring true every minute the family sits down with us during the program!
1. Â Â Â Children who cook become children who taste, and sometimes eat.Â
2. Â Â Â Children who cook say âI can,â not âI canât.â
3. Â Â Â Cooking is a way to talk about health.
4. Â Â Â Cooking is a way to talk about healthy ingredients.
5. Â Â Â Cooking brings cooks of all ages closer.Â
This sounds all well and good, but it takes a lot of mental and physical prep to make this happen. Cooking with kids can be like a roller coaster; it is definitely an exhilarating and fun ride! Here are a couple of tips we have figured out to help to add in that extra safety net if you are ready to take the leap.Â
1.     Be patient.
2.     Be organized. If you can, help create a context. Large context: Wonder where the ingredients come from. Local/in-the-moment context: Use your senses to explore each ingredient; this makes it a game later to see if they can taste each one after they are all mixed together.Â
3.     Let them use real cooking tools and model correct usage. When it comes to cutting fruit and veggies, from apples to avocados and zucchini, we have found that pre-cutting the fruit or veggie into large wedges, then having the kids use a pumpkin carving blade to cut the pieces smaller is a magic moment.Â
4.     Break up a recipe into manageable steps (not easy stepsâwe want a challenge! We want ownership of this process!)Â
5.     Donât be worried if they donât eat it. The whole process is a win no matter what. We are exposing children to new ingredients and flavors. Think ahead: if they are exposed to the same ingredient over and over again, familiarity breeds comfort and willingness to try.
Knowing your childâs abilities as an individual is important in helping to determine what they are capable of doing when helping in the kitchen. Our final tip is a simple guideline as to what your kids can do at different developmental stages and how you can challenge them to do more.
Preschoolers, 2-5 years, can start by learning the basic concepts that they will need to succeed in the kitchen. It is important to keep in mind that small tasks that donât require much prep work by you will be best. These tasks can include:
Stirring
Rinsing and straining fruits and vegetables
Measuring and pouring liquid and dry ingredients
Spreading peanut butter and jelly
Mashing potatoes and cooked vegetables
Using cookie cutters
Cutting soft fruits and vegetables with child safe knives or dull butter knives. (As we mentioned earlier, after modelling correct use, we enjoy letting the kids use pumpkin carving knives.)
School-aged cooks, 6-8 years, can be helpful in not only following your verbal directions, but also helping read recipes as their reading skills develop. It is during this age period that you can allow them to begin using different appliances, such as the stove or oven, with your close supervision, as well:
Whisking eggs
Frosting and icing cupcakes and cookies
Mixing batter
Using a can opener, juicer, and garlic press
Grating cheese
Peeling fruits and vegetables
Using a hand mixe
Using small, paring knives
Boiling pasta
Making grilled cheeseÂ
How do you invite your child chef into the kitchen? What are your favorite recipes that you like to enjoy at home? Â Let us know on our Facebook page! We hope to see you at the Museum next time during Kitchen Creations, so we can create great food together!Â
--Tim Abel & Amy Rohlman, Museum Education Specialists















