Kitchen Homeschooling is now is session
During this crisis we are in, many parents, like me, are finding themselves at home during the day more than ever before with their kids. And as a result, our roles have expanded to include things such as home-schooling Monday through Friday. Despite these new roles however, our other duties have not gone away. One of the biggest tasks we still have is feeding our families. In fact, with everyone home all day, this regular task is even more daunting, especially when you have picky eaters. So, why not turn things around and take advantage of this time at home and turn your picky eaters into “participating” and healthy eaters? It may not be as hard as you think.
There are many studies that show when kids have a hand in the cooking process, they are excited to eat those foods and less likely to push back on what they are eating – therefore more likely to eat healthier and try new foods. So, let’s invite them into the kitchen to help with the selection of the menu, the meal prep and even the cooking!
Educating our younger generations starts at home – apparently now more literally than ever – so with home-schooling being the current norm, why not turn your kitchen into a fun classroom too? Not only will you be turning your picky eaters around, but you can also have your kids doing math, nutrition, reading, writing, kitchen safety and responsibility all by helping prepare various simple recipes – and they won’t even know they’re learning. You can teach them how to plan a balanced meal (organization skills), read food labels, measure ingredients, follow a recipe and to be proud of the final result. They will also learn how to explore their senses, expand their palates, and make healthier food selections.
All you need to start are a few simple recipes like the ones I have created. Recipes that are easy to make help kids feel pride in their ability and their role to help make them. You also want to make sure the recipe you use doesn’t take too long to make to ensure it doesn’t go beyond their attention span so they will stay engaged from start to finish. The good news is all of the recipes I have created for FareMeals.com are ideal for this, as they are built on the principles of affordability, ease to make, and offer great health benefits – they are also fun for the kids to get involved in the process 😉
I hope this helps bring a little added fun to your homeschooling and also adds a bit of added ease to this already crazy time. Happy cooking 🙂
My Best,
Arielle
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Source: How Parents Can Help Kids Make Healthy Choices: Advice from Children By: Kaitlyn Eck, Colleen Delaney, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Karla Shelnutt, and Melissa Olfert
