Cooking with children

Cooking with children, is an activity that I have done, with, both, my own children and the ones, I used to child mind. You can simply let the children help with baking, my own used to like to stand on a chair, beside me, so that they could reach the kitchen worktop and help to stir and mix the ingredients together, then spoon the mixture into the cake cases, they also liked to lick out the mixing bowl, but be aware, that cake mixture, will contain raw eggs. Children love to help with pastry too, mince pie making were a favourite, as they could roll out the pastry and fill the tarts with the mincemeat. Let children have some of their own pastry, to cut shapes  and decorate with raisins and sultanas.

A favourite with the child minded children, was at Easter, when we made Easter nests, by mixing  shredded  wheat with chocolate and spooned it into nest shapes, when cool place 3 or 4 mini eggs inside and even pop a yellow chick ( widely available for little cost, at this time of year) on top.

At Christmas, we made marzipan fruits, by simply colouring the marzipan with a little food colouring and making fruit shapes, to achieve the mottled effect of orange skin, gently roll the marzipan against the fine side of a cheese grater, then push a clove  into the top, for the stem, cloves also look effective on an apple, as the core, or a stalk at the end of a banana.

Don’t forget the simplest idea of  mixing rice crispies, or corn flakes with chocolate, to make cakes, that even young children can prepare, with little supervision, as these won’t require cooking. My  son used to enjoy making cookie dough, for the child minded children to  roll and cut out Christmas themed shapes, they would decorate when cool with tubes of coloured icing.

Cooking with children can also  be a good way of encouraging them to talk, about anything that  may be worrying them, as they are not having to look an adult in the eye, but  can carry on with what they doing, while chatting.

Always take care when children are in the kitchen, keep them away from a hot oven and ensure that sharp knives are well out of harms reach ( as they should always be!)

 

As always questions/ ccomments are welcome.

Karen

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If anyone wants to contact me directly, do so by email: karendennis1@btinternet.com