Why Teaching Culinary Arts is Important to Kids' Health
"Cooking is one of the most important skills a person can have and it has been proven that families who cook together eat better." -- Jamie Oliver, British Celebrity Chef
Much of the western world's population is dying a slow death because of unhealthy eating habits. Processed foods and a culture dependent upon easy access to fast food is directly correlated to the recent statistic that members of the generation growing up in the early stages of the 21st century are likely to live shorter lives than their parents.
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Life Skills
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Kids love to learn, and the kitchen is a prime location in which to feed this hunger for knowledge. With childhood obesity on the rise, it is critical that children learn the joys of healthy eating and the dangers of junk food. As they learn to cook with ease, they'll learn that healthy food tastes great and is fun to prepare, and they'll carry this forward for life.
Self Esteem
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British Chef Jamie Oliver made a name for himself when in 2002 he poured his life savings into a charity that offered a group of disadvantaged and at-risk youth an opportunity to learn culinary arts and become chefs in a high-end restaurant. His model was so successful in boosting the self-esteem of these young people that their lives were enhanced and the model spread to countries around the world.
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Family Bonding
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Families are busy entities in this 21st century and more and more it seems that family members race from one commitment to another, only taking time to shovel a quick fast food meal into their stomachs. Cooking at home forces you to slow down and enjoy that art of creating a satisfying meal. Kids and parents alike can benefit from this simple process.
Other Skill Development
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When kids learn to cook, they often have so much fun that they don't realize they're honing an entirely separate set of skills. By following a recipe, they are covering math skills (in measurements), reading comprehension, sequencing and the science of combination, among many other skills. They also learn where their food comes from and how people of other cultures eat.
Stronger Health
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Healthy eating habits should be formed early in life, and the best way to do this is to cook with your child. When a child has a hand in creating a meal, they're more likely to enjoy eating it. The fights about eating the greens on the plate may just be lessened slightly if the child helped prepare them.
Team Building and Cooperation
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One of the greatest skills a child can learn is the ability to interact with other people to accomplish a task. They can develop these team building skills early on in life in the kitchen. Whether they're cooking with a parent, a grandparent or a brother or sister, kids will learn to work together when preparing a culinary delight in the kitchen.
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References
- Photo Credit cooking image by Daria Miroshnikova from Fotolia.com
