Overview

Cooking with kids is a great way to educate them about good nutrition, what’s in season, planning and preparing meals, and reading food labels. It can encourage them to eat healthy foods, especially ones they may normally refuse to try. Expand their horizons by getting students in the kitchen through a healthy cooking club!

Take Action

• Discuss with your school administration your ideas for a healthy cooking club. Receive their approval for the club and brainstorm opportunities for funding.
• Host a healthy fundraiser to raise funds for your healthy cooking club.
• Answer the following Who, What, Where, When questions:

• • Who: Will the club be open to all grade levels? What about parents? How many students can participate in the club?
  • What: What topics will your club focus on? For example, Healthy Cooking During the Holidays, Healthy Breakfast on the Go, Healthy After School Snacks, Healthy & Yummy Desserts, etc. What specific cooking skills will you highlight (i.e. peeling, chopping, proper mixing, etc.)?
  • Where: Where will the cooking club will take place? Ideally, there should be enough table space for students to work, as well as access to a refrigerator and oven.
  • When: When will your club meet? After school? In the evening? Once per week for six weeks?

• Take inventory of current cooking equipment, and outline additional supply needs. Consider:

• • Doing a kitchen utensils drive at school to receive donated items. Advertise the drive in the school newsletter, at the library and local gym, in the newspaper and on your school marquee.
  • Asking local restaurants if they would be willing to donate equipment.
  • Checking out garage sales and thrift stores for gently used items.

• If your school has a school garden, collaborate with the garden club, and use whatever fresh fruits and vegetables are available.
• Ask local food pantries, grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants if they would be willing to donate groceries or incentives such as gift cards.
• Partner with growers/sellers at farmers markets to donate what’s left over to the cooking club. You might have bruised apples or less than fresh zucchini, but they are still usable and delicious! Apples can be made into applesauce and zucchini into zucchini bread.
• Don’t have access to a kitchen? Start a Food Art Cooking Club!

Social Emotional Health Highlights

Activities such as these help students explore…

Self-Management: Cooking with children can be a fantastic way for children to explore their senses while working towards a goal. Whether a child is chopping vegetables, tasting sauce, or smelling spices, children must stay organized, stay motivated when things don’t go as planned.

Social Awareness and Relationship Skills: Teaming up to create a delicious dish is an opportunity for children to develop skills in communication and teamwork. Use cooking as a way to explore culinary roots across different cultures and help children practice perspective talking.  Cooking allows children to get creative while working with a partner (or group) to create something rewarding and delicious!

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