I strongly believe that we need to teach our children the life skills they will need to lead happy and healthy lives. As a nutrition & food skills educator I am very passionate about food literacy as an important life skill. While getting my degree in nutrition I was made aware of the role food skills (food literacy) plays in overall health. Studies suggest that lack of food literacy knowledge and an overabundance of highly processed takeout foods available are contributing to increasing obesity rates in North America. My goal as a food educator is to help bring food skills back to kids!
My food philosophy is “All foods fit!” and in my classes I focus on the importance of eating a balanced diet including a variety of foods from Canada's Food Guide, Eat Well Plate. When you are trying to get your kids interested in cooking, try letting them pick the recipe and be encouraging! The first time kids cook the recipe it may not look perfect, but it usually tastes pretty good. If they make a mistake in the recipe, encourage them to use problem solving skills to figure out how they can fix it. Kids are developing a new skill so be patient and let them make mistakes. As they gain confidence you will see them start to make substitutions in recipes and maybe not even need recipes anymore. This is a great skill to have!
When I'm running my cooking classes I love to see how proud the kids are of what they make. Learning food skills not only helps teach kids a new life skill, evidence also suggests that learning to cook gives kids a confidence boost and helps them to make healthier food choices. That's why I was so happy this summer to host the 'Let's Make Lunch' Summer Camp for Kids with the help of Canada Beef.
You may have missed the live events but you can still view all 8 lessons here. Not only are the taped lessons here but you can also find the full recipes to follow along with, grocery lists, and recipe videos. This page will help get your kids excited about getting into the kitchen. Feel free to comment below and let me know how your family's kitchen adventures are going! I love hearing tips and tricks that worked with your kids at home.
Keep an eye out for our Fall kids cooking program, more details to come soon. In the meantime, get in the kitchen and get cooking!