The kitchen is a great place for kids to have fun while they learn important lessons and life skills.

As we grow, much of our learning takes place outside of school, as we observe and interact with the world around us. Every new activity is an opportunity to learn facts and concepts about life, and cooking is no exception. By cooking with your children or letting them help out in the kitchen, you can impart many important lessons about math, reading and many other subjects.

A professionally trained chef with years of experience in various East Coast restaurants, Laurie Wolf now lends her unique talents to the pages of Child Magazine as their food editor. A resident of Westchester County, New York, Wolf lives with her husband Bruce, their two children, and many cats and dogs. Here she offers creative ideas for helping kids learn important lessons while having fun in the kitchen:

• Math. According to Wolf, children can pick up math skills in almost every part of the cooking process. Learning the difference between a quarter of a cup and a quart measure is an important skill for a four or five year old.

• Reading. Cooking is also a great way to get kids reading. You can read recipes to young children, and older kids benefit from the fact that they are participating in what they’re reading, making the act of reading relevant.

• Safety. The kitchen is also an important place to stress safety lessons, from the potential dangers of electricity, gas and heat, to proper respect for sharp knives. Wolf suggests starting younger kids out with plastic knives and utensils so they can experience what it’s like to cut something before they learn to handle the greater risk of a metal implement.

• Confidence & sociability. Learning to follow recipes, measure ingredients and cook can also give kids confidence. Cooperating to make a meal can build social skills and teach kids to get along with each other and take directions. And in the end, time spent in the kitchen making food is quality time, and that’s important for both parents and children. So get into the kitchen with your kids and have some fun- you all might learn a few things in the process!

Viking Range Corporation
www.vikingrange.com

Cooking with Kids
www.gardenandhearth.com/Cooking_With_Kids/cooking_with_kids.htm

Kitchen Kids
www.techedlab.com/techkids/cooking.html

Kitchen Safety for Young Children
www.uwyo.edu/family/HEALTHYC/HEALTH/Kitche~1.htm

Food For Thought: Kids in the Kitchen
www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/foodforthought/9907.html