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Page 1 Cooking And Eating With Children Training Review Module 2 Clock Hours P.O. Box 5465, Katy, TX 77491 Tel: 281.395.7000; Toll- Free: 877.395.6560 Fax: 281.395.7002 www.childfoodprogramoftexas.org
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Page 1: Cooking And Eating With Children - Child Food Program of … & Eat With Children...Cooking And Eating With Children Training Review Module ... Science ... At about the third grade,

Page 1

Cooking And EatingWith ChildrenTraining Review Module

2 Clock Hours

P.O. Box 5465, Katy, TX 77491 Tel: 281.395.7000; Toll- Free: 877.395.6560 Fax: 281.395.7002 www.childfoodprogramoftexas.org

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Instructions For Completing This Module:

1. After reviewing this material with your day home rep-resentative, please read and study the material carefully.

2. Complete the test for the material and return it toChild Food Program Of Texas at your convenience. Thereis no deadline to have this test back to us.

3. When we receive your completed test, we will evalu-ate it and then send you a certificate for 2 clockhours for completing this material.

Objectives For This Module:

1. To explain the importance of and benefits of cookingand eating together in the dayhome environment.

2. To educate providers on how to organize, prepare andcarry out cooking projects with children.

3. To educate providers on the different learning experi-ences that can come from cooking and eating as a group(i.e. reading and writing skills, developing languageskills, etc.).

Table Of Contents

Learning From Cooking and Eating ........................................................... Page 3Nutrition ................................................................... Page 4Motor & Perceptual Skills ...................................... Page 5Developing Language ............................................ Page 6

Reading & Writing .................................................. Page 9

Mathematics ............................................................. Page 10

Science ....................................................................... Page 11

Social Studies ........................................................... Page 12

Executive Abilities .................................................. Page 13

Social & Emotional Development ........................ Page 14

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Learnings fromCooking and Eating

For youngsters to get the full benefit of food experiences,adults in charge must know what knowledge, under-standing, and skills those children are ready for. Theymust also know what learnings children might gain fromcooking and eating, and how to promote those learnings.Focus on one or two rather specific objectives for eachexperience, ignoring or treating casually the others un-less some reason comes forward to do otherwise.

A common error made by those just beginning to usefood as a way of learning is to try to pull out of each foodexperience every possible learning - size, shape, taste,texture, sound, odor, whether the food is a tuber or astem, changes in form taking place in the cooking, etc.Such proliferation of content must be totally confusingunless the children already know all those things. And ifthat is the case, why bother?

Sensory enjoyment

Talk with the children during the experience, helpingthem focus on the desired outcomes - the learnings forwhich the experience was selected. Above all, keep theexcitement and joy and spirit of doing a project togetherthat cooking and eating with children can bring.

Enjoyment at the sensory level can sometimes be an ob-jective in itself. Pass the pineapple around and let chil-dren experience the roughness and stickiness of the pine-apple skin, the deep green of the top. Cut it and enjoy thesound of the knife cutting through top, skin, core, andmeat, and the smell, taste, and texture of the ripe pine-apple chunks. Verbalization can focus on something assimple as “This is a pineapple. “ It can focus on one por-tion of the experience, such as “This is an uncooked orfresh pineapple: yesterday we had canned pineapple.” Itcan move into more complex learnings for older children,with the sensory experiences becoming a pleasurableway to get to another objective.

Give some thought to the conversation that is likely totake place. Sometimes we expect children to answer al-most impossible questions. For example, relatively fewdescriptive words apply to taste and smell. What does acarrot (onion, bread, bacon, apple, and so on) smell like?Taste like? Young children can say little except “Good” or“A carrot.” Ask and attempt to answer some of the pro-posed questions ahead of time to make them clearer andbetter.

Much rather complex factual knowledge is involved inworking with food, and scientific knowledge is ratherhaphazardly mixed with everyday, commonly usedknowledge. If questions arise in your mind - “What arelegumes?” “What is the relationship between peanuts,coconuts, Brazil nuts, walnuts? The children are confusedand so am I.” - try to find out the answer. Sometimes thequestion is best avoided unless it comes up.

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Nutrition

In every cooking and eating experience children arelearning about nutrition. Children learn through foodexperiences, by cooking and tasting and eating foods farmore than by what adults say about them. If carbonateddrinks and candy are sold in school canteens or vendingmachines, they become part of the nutrition “curricu-lum.” Children learn through watching what adults intheir world eat and enjoy. They learn from advertising ontelevision and radio, in magazine, newspapers, and su-permarkets. Seldom is the nutrition education acquiredthis way accurate or adequate. It .can be supplementedby teaching nutritional principles, and giving the reasonsfor following these principles.

Facts taught about food selection and a balanced dietshould be quite simple. Many young children are still inthe process of sorting out common food groups; milk anddairy products; fruits and vegetables; meat, fish, andpoultry; breads and cereals. Don’t make the mistake oftelling them more than they want to know or can com-prehend. At about the third grade, children can begin toidentify the four basic food groups. The tendency is to tryto teach “facts” too soon, rather than concentrating onhabits and attitudes.

Children can learn that vitamins, minerals, protein, cal-cium and other nutrients are important to health, butprobably not what various vitamins and minerals supply,or what a calorie or carbohydrate is. Establishing eatingpatterns and habits that put nutritional principles intopractice is far more important. Help children to see thoseprinciples reflected in what they are experiencing:

“You’ve tried the brussels sprouts. If you really don’t likethem, take another helping of green salad. They are bothgreen vegetables.” “We’re not having meat today. Thesecheese sandwiches and deviled eggs are our protein for

lunch.” “I’ll peel your apple if you want me to, but youcan eat the skin, too. The skin of an apple is really good -and good for you. It’s good and crunchy. We call itMother Nature’s toothbrush.” “Scrub the potato skinsuntil they are clean; then we can eat the skins, too. Theyhave vitamins and minerals, too.” “Let’s set the timer sothe carrots won’t cook too long. They taste better thatway, and they’re better for you because the vitaminswon’t be boiled away.“

Older children can learn the common food groupings -milk and dairy products; fruits and vegetables; meat,fish, cheese, and poultry; bread and cereals - and how toplan a balanced diet for themselves. Schools or earlychildhood centers that are serious about nutrition educa-tion for the children they serve will take care to involveparents in the teaching-learning process.

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Motor and Perceptual Skills

Preparing, cooking, and eating food require muscle coor-dination and control. Breaking an egg, holding a carrotwith one hand and peeling or scrubbing it with another,stirring without spilling, holding meat with a fork andcutting it with a knife, and spreading butter on a slice ofbread are only a few of the motor and perceptual skillsinvolved. No one of these is important in itself. A goodmany adults, after all, still have difficulty separating thewhite of an egg from the yolk. Through gradual masteryover a large number of skills coordination increases andconfidence develops that “I can do it myself.”

One writer (Ferreira, 1969) analyzed and divided theseskills into groups, starting with gross motions and lead-ing to fine coordination. These are not suggested as adefinite sequence, but rather to give some idea of rela-tive difficulty.

Children can learn large muscle control; includ-ing the control required to sit in one placenext to another child for a short period oftime and become interested in eatingand tasting. Other skills are handlingvarious utensils, napkins, and per-haps clearing the table; scrubbingand wiping the table, food, andhands; tearing breaking; snap-ping; and dipping.

Children can learn beginning manipu-lation and eye-hand coordination. These can be pro-

moted through such skills as pouring, pouring to a givenpoint in a tumbler or cup, mixing, shaking a jar or shaker,wrapping (with foil, paper, dough), and spreading.

Children can learn finer motions and more complex useof both hands. These include rolling with both hands,kneading, juicing with a hand juicer (place a wet clothunder the juicer), peeling with the fingers, and crackingraw eggs.

Children can learn fine coordination and working againstresistance. These skills include cutting with table knives,

then relatively sharp knives, grinding, beat-ing with a hand egg beater, peeling with avegetable peeler, grating, and slicing.

Knowledge and the control necessary touse tools safely are also important. Children

in kindergarten and first grade can do most ofthese things, provided they have been shown

how and had a little practice. The sequence canserve as a general guide for introduction of skills to

younger children. However, if a favorite recipe has astep involving a skill beyond the capability of the chil-dren, such as peeling and coring pineapple, the adult cando that. Don’t forget that children will learn much aboutsafety, holding, and manipulating as they watch, eventhough they must ultimately do it themselves to reallylearn.

Some schools teach this kind of motor control in isolatedpractice sessions—pouring rice, sand, or water, clearingtables and utensils. Then they never let the children dothe real things!

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Developing Language

Action almost always promotes language developmentbetter than objects or pictures. Preparing, cooking, andeating food is action. The possibilities for enhancing lan-guage development through these means are endless.

Children can learn the names of the foods they arepreparing and eating - potato, tomato, pork chops, ham,green beans, bread, juice, milk.

Children can learn the names of the equipment theyare using - blender, saucepan, skillet, mixer, measuringcup, spatula, rubber scraper.

Children can learn the names of the actions they aredoing - stir, beat, slice, spread, pour, measure, chop, peel,knead.

Children can learn the names of processes involved incooking- baking, popping, heating, cooling, boiling,freezing, melting, dissolving, steaming, expand, absorb.

Children can learn the names of descriptive terms -ripe, rotten, liquid, solid, raw, cooked, firm, sticky, soft,smooth, crunchy, hard, soft, sweet, salty, sour.

Children can learn the names of common categories -fruits, vegetables, seeds, flowers, spices, meat, grains,nuts.

Children can learn the names of various forms inwhich food is commonly processed and served - fresh,canned, pickled, cooked, sauce, juice, syrup, dried, but-tered, creamed, meal, chips, flakes, granulated, pow-dered, flour, patty, loaf, puree.

Children can learn about time designations - rightaway, tomorrow, until jelled, until thickened, slowly,quickly, minutes, hour, after lunch.

Children can learn to compare and contrast. “The ba-nana and the yellow apple are the same color, but a dif-ferent shape. They don’t taste the same, either.” “Cut thestalks of celery so they are all about the same length.”

Children can learn that language can be used to helpthem get what they need or want. “I want some moremilk. “ `Please pass the butter. “ ‘ Is this done?” “Theseare ready. “

Children can learn the meaning and use of certaingrammatical structures - “Do you want your cracker but-tered or unbuttered?” “Are these carrots cooked or un-cooked?” “Do you want this celery with or without pea-nut butter?” “You can have either tomato juice or orangejuice. Which do you want?”

Future, present, and past tenses of verbs - “We . . . ““We’re going to . . . “ “We’re . . . “

These learnings do not just happen. Planning to “talkabout the food and what the children are doing” is usu-ally not enough, especially in a center or classroom. Whatis the desired learning? What language will best bringout that learning? How shall we go about it? Do the chil-dren have the necessary background and previous learn-ings to do what we are planning?

The following selected portions of a transcription of apopcorn popping session will illustrate how to incorpo-rate language into a cooking activity.. The episode wasplanned with a group of four- and five-year-olds whoneeded special language help. A wide variety of lan-guage activities had been carried on throughout the year- learning to observe and describe, learning action words,words of contrast and comparison, of relative time, ofrelative location, as well as an emphasis on sentences.The popping was carried on with the total group, with ateacher and one helper. Yellow popcorn soaked in oil,available at most stores, was popped in a glass-toppedpopper.

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Action Comments

As the teacher and a small group of the children mea-sured, poured, and started the popcorn, unsolicited di-rections and predictions of what was going to happenbegan.

Children’s spontaneous comments are encouraged. Si-lence is not conductive to language development, butneither is noise. If it had been too noisy, the teacher couldhave reminded them to talk one at a time.

“Pour the popcorn.”“Put that (the lid) on top of the pan.”

“The popcorn will jump. “ “The popcorn will get hot. ““It’s going to go high and high. “

Juice is served.

Children: “I smell it.”“The window is getting all wet. It’sdirty.”

Teacher: “What do you suppose that is on theinside of the glass lid?”

Children: “It’s popcorn.”“It’s oil.”

“It’s foggy.”

“It’s raining inside. “

Teacher: “That moisture inside is called steam, or con-densation.”

Children: “The oil is moving.”“It sounds like fire.”“It makes noise.”“The corn is hopping up.”“It’s popping.”“It is jumping.”“It hits the top; it’s trying to jump out.”“It might be trying to break it.”

“Maybe they’re trying to escape.”

“It tries to get out.”“It tries to jump out.”

“It tries to jump out; it turns white.”

“Look how full it’s getting.”“It’s getting fuller and fuller. “

“First there was a little bit: now there’sa lot.”

“It’s almost done.”

“The ones that pop kick up the others.”

Note the prediction of future action. Good thinking andgood language.

Juice is served at this time to help the children wait andobserve the popping. Just waiting and watching are notvery exciting for four- and five-year-old children.

Throughout, the teacher echoes the children’s commentsas appropriate, and encourages others to say what theysee or smell.

As the corn and oil begin to heat, other observationsbegin.

Popping brings more observations including presenttense verification of the earlier predictions.

Note the many uses of “it,” evidence that more system-atic work on the names of things needs to be done in theweeks ahead. The teacher does not intrude on the freeflow of language to try to get the children to be more pre-cise at this time.

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Teacher: “What would happen if I took the lidoff now?”

Children: “It would pop all over the place.”

The corn is salted and bowls are passed around.

“After Bruno, I get some.“

Children: “That is cooked; that ain’t cooked.”“That is good to eat; that is not good toeat.”“That isn’t yellow: that is yellow. “

“That is fat; that is skinny.”

“One is popped: one ain’t popped.”

“One is dry; one is not dry.”

“This doesn’t have oil; this has oil. “

“These are not wet; these are wet.”

“They’re not the same color. One is yellow; one is white.”

Teacher: “Are they the same size?”

Children: “One is big; one is little.“

The teacher asks a question to encourage the children touse what they have been observing in another prediction.Verification of this could come in another experience.

While the children are eating, the teacher puts a kernel ofpopped corn and a kernel of the oil-soaked unpoppedcorn so all can see, and elicits comparisons and contrasts.

The teacher unobtrusively encourages the children totake turns speaking so all can hear, and encourages fur-ther observations. The colloquial “ain’t” is accepted, andwill be gradually worked on in other contexts as thechild’s vocabulary and confidence increases.

After nine separate observations (several children re-peated), the teacher asks a focused question to draw theirattention to size. Note that they know the category word“size.”

The action and interest generated by the preparation andeating of the popcorn stimulated the spontaneous ex-pression of many of the words and concepts the childrenhad been learning. The episode revealed not only whatthe children had learned, but what they hadn’t learned.Other children, older children, might have seen differentthings. Another teacher might have used the popcornpopping to bring out other concepts, other learnings.

Here are some guides that will help with language learn-ing in cooking and eating activities:

Make sure adults know and have clear in their mindsthe meaning and use of words likely to be used.

Do some informal evaluation to see if children knowthe words. If they do, and have the correct concept, yourtask is easy.

If children do not know the words, start using themyourself, in connection with the action or object that willmake the meaning clear. “Mary, you can slice the bananainto thick pieces - about this thick. “

Extend the language learnings to other situations.

These steps will not be covered in a day, or even a week.But when finished, the learning will be real and lasting.

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Reading and Writing

The packages, directions, recipes, and advertisementsassociated with food offer ample opportunity for build-ing a number of reading and writing skills and attitudes.

Children can learn to “read”, interpret, and draw infer-ences from pictures and symbols. Some children whohave not had many home experiences with books andmagazines, or interpretative trips to the grocery storemay have difficulty with this skill. Others, even at agethree and four are quite skilled because of repeated expo-sure to symbols through the mass media, books, foodboxes, and trips to the grocery store with people whogive explanations.

Children can learn the importance of readingto find out information. Reading arecipe, reading labels on food tomake sure it is the right thing,reading to follow directions areall essential. Perhaps moreimportant, they can seegrown-ups doing the samething. Even if an adult has

a recipe memorized, it should be read to “find out whatwe are supposed to do.” The printed directions on thebox of gelatin dessert or instant pudding, the cookbook,card, or experience chart recipe for cranberry relishshould be read in front of the children. One of the mostpowerful incentives to read lies in seeing adults read.

Children can learn to record their own experiences in away that can be accurately relayed or duplicated. In theclassroom, experience charts can be made illustratingand writing the recipe. Before children can learn to write,the teacher can do this. Illustrations from magazines or

actual pictures can help. Many teachers makeit a practice to send the recipe used

home with each child. Olderchildren can print their own, a

priceless addition to any familyrecipe file. As a child sees a par-

ent read a recipe the child haswritten, the words on the paper

take on real meaning for theyoungster.

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Mathematics

Selecting, purchasing, preparing, cooking, and servingfood require mathematical concepts and skills. Many op-portunities come up for counting, adding, dividing, sub-tracting, assessing quantity, measuring, reading and writ-ing number symbols, and so on. These are learned in aconcrete and immediately useful way.

It is better to choose a simple recipe so the children canactually measure rather than something complicatedthey just watch. After all, the adult already knows how!As with language, mathematical learnings through expe-rience with food must be planned, so expected learningsare appropriate for the age and development of the chil-dren involved. A three-year-old and a seven-year-oldmay both enjoy making gelatinsalad, but the learnings may bevery different.

Children can learn through count-ing experience - counting andnumber concepts such as one cupof cold water; two slices of breadfor a sandwich; three teaspoons ofbaking powder; “We’ve got twoboxes of pudding and each onecalls for two cups of milk. Howmany cups of milk will we need?”“How many raisins do you want?You count them out.” They canlearn one-to-one correspondence. - “If we have six chil-dren at the table, how many cups of juice do we need?”

Setting the table, putting one spoon in each bowl, or onestraw in each glass or carton all develop this idea.

Children can learn measuring and quantity concepts suchas teaspoon, tablespoon, cup, half-cup, one-fourth cup;pint, quart, full, empty; more, less, fewer; too much, notas much as; half, whole twice as much, double. Perhaps,in preparation for the near future, they should begin tolearn to “think metric.” Older children can learn equiva-lents

Working with the actual manipulation of discrete andcontinuous quantities can help build the understandingsnecessary to conserve quantity - an important intellectualtask usually accomplished in the years from three to

eight.

Children can learn numerals onprice tags, recipes, and labels as wellas written words and abbreviationsof measurement terms.

Children can learn commonly usedcoins and bills and their value. Thematching

of what can be purchased with theamount of money available is no

small task at any time. Older children canbe involved in these decisions. Younger ones

can transmit money for a purchase at the gro-cery store and receive change.

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Science

Many cooking experiences have elements of good scienceexperiences - even though they may not be labeled “sci-ence.”

Children can learn processes used in science. Accuratemeasurement and timing, skillful use of tools, carefulobservation in using all the senses, wondering, question-ing, prediction, estimation, manipulation, classifying,ordering, solving problems, experimentation, verifica-tion, making mistakes and correcting them are examplesof these processes.

Children can learn many simple science concepts.These include hot, cold, warm, cool, lukewarm; wet, dry,moist; small, large, tiny, long, short; round, not round;square, triangle, circle, semi-circle; and so on.

Children can have beginning experiences with signifi-cant concepts in science. Even though complete under-standing of many concepts may not be attained until thechild is older, he will have the experience backgroundand partial knowledge necessary to that understanding.Some instances are changes in states of matter; cause andeffect relationships; the interdependence of living thingsand their dependence on the earth and sun; the conserva-tion of matter; specific gravity; properties of liquids, sol-ids, and gases; growth~ the effect of the environment on

substances (mold, rotting, souring; drying); characteris-tics of combinations of substances (dissolving, mixing,irreversibility of some combinations).

As in classification experiences, care must be taken thatfull understanding of concepts beyond the children’scomprehension is not expected. Complete understandingof specific gravity, for example, requires the merging ofseveral. ideas about sinking and floating, light and heavy,displacement and density. This learning is not easily at-tained. But children who have a good understanding ofeach of the simpler concepts have a better chance of un-derstanding the more complex one. Many experienceswith sink and float occur in preparing and cooking fooda metal fork accidentally dropped in a bowl of liquidsinks, a wooden spoon does not.

Some fruits or vegetables added to a liquid gelatin basesink, some float. These properties can even be used tohelp make a layered salad. If the cooks don’t want a lay-ered salad, the mixture must be stirred at a certain time.Children can speculate and make some hypotheses aboutwhy these things happen, but probably could not fullycomprehend, even if it were explained.

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Social Studies

Food traditions are a part of every era and of every cul-ture. Children can learn about the “olden days” andmore about their own and other cultures through foodexperiences. They can learn more about the almost revo-lutionary changes that have taken place in food produc-tion, processing, marketing, and preparation in the lasthalf-century.

Children can learn more about their own and othercultures through food. Cooking the foods of many landsand peoples can give children a closer relationship anddeeper appreciation of those lands and peoples. Foodscharacteristics of various ethnic groups and differentgeographic regions within the United States and Canadacan add to the understanding of these countries. In mostcenter or classroom groups of children many nationalbackgrounds are represented. Parents (including fathers)can come to school to help children learn about a tradi-tional cultural food specialty and something of its signifi-cance.

Children can learn the differences between food pro-duction, distribution, and preparation in industrializednations and non-industrialized, including our own a fewyears ago. They can begin to understand both the advan-

tages and disadvantages of mass production and distri-bution. Planting and cultivating a garden, even if in a fewflower pots, can help recapture some of the feeling of theolden days, as well as being a modern conservation mea-sure.

Children can have beginning experiences leading tothe understanding of important concepts in the socialstudies, such as interdependence, division of labor aswell as the satisfaction of doing a complete job, change,and consumer economics. As with big ideas in science,young children are just at the beginning stages. Full com-prehension comes later.

Children can learn about occupations connected withfood. Some food experiences should include trips to thegrocery store to purchase food. Try to get beyond thefarmer and the milkman to food occupations typical ofthe children’s community. Perhaps watch a pizza makerstretch dough, find out about a beekeeper, a fish-rearingunit, a baker, or life behind the scenes at the supermar-ket. Tie a visit closely to a cooking experience, andgreater learning all around will result.

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Executive Abilities

Preparing and cooking food require careful organization,sequencing, planning and following a plan (both foradults and children), including cleaning up. If the mixingbowl is forgotten or the salt box empty, there are prob-lems!

How to plan, anticipate needs, organize and carry outmultistep activities is seldom taught directly. Yet it is animportant characteristic of competent, well functioningyoung children and often absent in children who are hav-ing difficulties. One does not acquire these skills bylearning facts, but by doing.

There are definite differences betweenwhat can be expected of a three-year-old and a seven-year-old.Adults must do much of theadvance preparation for threesand fours, but should begin toinvolve them in sequencing and

decision making. “Now what do we need to do?” “Whatcomes next?” “Everyone can’t turn the food grinder atonce; what shall we do?” “Who’s next?” Older children,with the guidance of a skillful and patient teacher or par-ent-teacher can do most of the planning, organization,and executing, including deciding how the food can bedivided, inviting guests, and cleaning up. A chalkboard isinvaluable for recording and revising older children’splans.

Younger children watching an adult mentally or actu-ally tick off items on a check list will begin to learn

some planning skills. “Let’s seenow, is everything ready? Bowl?Spoon? Can opener?” Given op-

portunity and guidance, the chil-dren will be able to develop ex-

ecutive abilities.

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Social & Emotional Development

Satisfying our body’s need for food is one of our firstpleasurable experiences. The sharing of food is a univer-sal token of acceptance, hospitality, and love. For youngchildren, food is closely tied with the development oftrust, security, and warmth. Dr. Jenny Klein, of the Officeof Child Development, recently wrote, “It is becomingincreasingly clear that nutrition is an important aspect ofearly childhood education. It is equally clear that theemotional atmosphere, the warmth, the relaxation, andconversation, are as important as the food served.”

Any cooking and eating experience should be accompa-nied by such positive feelings. If it does not, something iswrong. Examining the many factors that can turn mealsat home into a battle of wills, or school lunchrooms intowhat some have called “zoos” is beyond the scope of thispublication. These situations are teaching children aspowerfully as the more ideal ones, but neither adults norchildren feel very good about what is being learned.

The positive social and emotional learnings that can re-sult when adults and children prepare and eat food to-gether are many.

Children can learn consideration and courtesy for eachother. Waiting for one’s turn, sharing food, dividing itequitably, eating in a way that makes snack and meal-time pleasant, are all things that have to be learned. Theyare learned slowly and gradually, both by example anddirect teaching.

Children can learn the satisfaction of successfully makingsomething, eating, and sharing it, especially when it canbe shared with adults. The importance to child’s self con-cept of this and the mastering of the concomitant skillswould not be underestimated.

Children can learn responsibility appropriate to theirage. Preparing, planning, perhaps bringing the food orcarrying it home from the store, doing a share of thework, cleaning up and putting away, are opportunitiesfor responsibility that should not be withheld from chil-dren. However; neither should they be imposed in a pu-nitive “you made the mess, now clean it up” fashion.Adult help and encouragement will help keep attitudespositive.

Children can learn respect for other people. They canlearn to respect their likes and dislikes, their need forvarying amounts of food, and varying amounts of time inwhich to eat it. They can learn to respect and like foodsfrom cultures and families other than their own. Equallyimportant, the center and school can show appreciationof the traditional foods of the children’s culture to en-hance their pride and self respect.

Children can learn cooperation and just working to-gether. They learn that working together can be fun andcan work to everyone’s benefit. “If each one brings onepiece of fruit, we can have a delicious fruit salad.”Thinking and planning together - “What else do weneed?” “What comes next?” Helping each other and com-paring are all positive social learnings that cooking expe-riences can promote.


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