Kids Cooking

Kids Cooking ~ A look at Raddish Kids

by Felice Gerwitz

*Raddish Kids is an Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network Sponsor

Who doesn’t love to get mail and especially when that mail is a fun box with recipes. When I was first married I belonged to a recipe club and loved getting those packages as well. Some of those recipes became family favorites that I use to this day. How I wish I received recipes as a kid! That’s what Raddish Kids provides. Great recipes that children if children can read they can make on their own! Learning to cook is a skill that is so valuable no matter what your age.

Learning to cook is a skill that is so valuable no matter what your age. It opens an entire world of good nutrition and healthy living. It can teach children to eat foods they would not try before as well encourage them to participate in planning and selecting a menu. Involving your children has never been easier. Raddish Kids kits provides all the information a parent (or grandparent!) needs to successfully cook with your children.

Raddish kits come monthly and you can try one, six or twelve months. In each kit comes a set of recipes, as well as a shopping list. It also has fun items such as a patch, discussion questions and a cooking technique or two. There are table topics to discuss as a family. More fun! One of my favorite items was the spatula that came with the kit. I loved it! (Not sure my kids will get that one.)

Listen to any of the Vintage Homeschool Moms podcast, here, here and here for a coupon offer from Raddish.

Here are some tips to make cooking time fun:

Be sure you have time. Cooking with little ones can be a slow process
Lunch or cooking on weekends – may be the best time for cooking
Age appropriate activities
Safety consideration – sharp knives, hot stove, etc.
Simpler dishes (Raddish kits offer kid-friendly foods)

The benefits of cooking with kids:

Hands-on experience, children learn best by doing
Cleanliness – teaching children to wash their hands before cooking
- Washing utensils, not touch raw chicken etc.
Kitchen safety.
- Using knives safely
- Safety with stovetops and heat sources
- Safely removing items from the microwave
Use recipes as “copy work,” that the children can use to read
Reading and following directions.
Math skills
- Learning about the correct temperature to cook
- Measuring
- Calculating
- Fractions
- Dividing recipes or adding to increase
Agriculture
- How food is grown
- Farming techniques
Geography
- Places where food is grown
- Learning about different cuisines
Good nutrition
- How food works to make your body strong
- Food that is good for you
- Food that is not good for you
Cooking skills
- Cutting techniques (and safety!)
- Whisking
- Folding
- Whipping
Shopping for foods
- Creating a grocery list
- Planning
- Shopping

Remember, in order to make cooking memorable as well as successful select a time when the children won’t be tired or too hungry! Doing some prep ahead of time is always helpful. Giving a child who can read the recipe to read aloud, giving the little children who can’t help something to play with such as pots and a wooden spoon and having a happy attitude will go a long way. Some of our best times as a family is time spent in the kitchen. All of my children cook and well! And that comes from practice and no fear in trying.

What are your cooking successes?