PHOTO COURTESY LLCC
Lincoln Land Community College offers culinary sessions during the summer as part of its popular College for Kids Program.
Summer is an ideal time to get kids into the kitchen, especially teens and tweens. Learning to prepare food is an essential life skill and an excellent way to keep active minds busy while school is out. Research points to what we know intuitively as caregivers, that involving kids in meal preparation increases their enthusiasm for whatever they’re eating and the likelihood that they’ll try new foods. (https://extension.usu.edu/healthwellness/research/benefits-of-including-kids-in-the-kitchen)
Yes, it will be messy. Sadly there’s no way around the reality of dishes and mess, no matter who is cooking, so it’s easier to just make peace with it and do your best to teach young cooks to clean as they go. The goal here is not perfection, but to support kids into becoming competent, confident humans capable of sustaining themselves with real food. One day they may even make you dinner.
Plan
Start at the grocery store or farmers market and get the kids involved with planning what to make for dinner. Shop for what’s in season and take the opportunity to teach your kids about building whole meals with a balance of protein, vegetables and healthy fats. The Old Capitol Farmers Market (open Wednesdays and Saturdays from May 14 through the end of October) provides a great opportunity to meet farmers and learn about different types of produce as they come in and out of season.
Delegate
Thankfully, kids don’t have to be in the kitchen every day. Especially when you’re just starting out, pick a cooking day when you as the caregiver have time and space to cook alongside your kids without time pressure. This is a great opportunity to prepare make-ahead meals together like chili and casseroles that can be stashed in the freezer when summer schedules get overloaded.
Let it go
Break recipes up into stages and demonstrate how to perform individual steps, then allow kids to have ownership of their work. It probably won’t be exactly like you did it, and that’s OK.
Work with a pro
Lincoln Land Community College offers a range of culinary classes open to the community for both adults and kids, including Saturday kids’ classes covering topics from Cupcakes for Mom to Asian Takeout, as well as Parent and Me classes covering handmade pasta and holiday cookie decorating.
Over the summer, LLCC offers culinary sessions as part of its popular College for Kids Program.
“We’ve had students attend our summer camps as a kid and then return after high school and enroll in our culinary program, which we love,” said Jolene Lamb, director of community education at LLCC. “But even for those who don’t plan to enter the culinary industry, we all eat, and being able to prepare food is just part of living. Seeing the sense of accomplishment they get from making an entire dish from scratch is incredibly gratifying.”
Beyond simply teaching students how to prepare a recipe, kids attending LLCC culinary camps will learn vital food and kitchen safety practices that they will carry with them throughout their life.
“Our maximum class size is 18 kids, so with three instructors the level of individual instruction is very high,” explained Lamb. “Parents are sometimes nervous about teaching their kids to use knives or cook over the stove, but we’re not. We’ve taught hundreds of kids over the years how to work safely in the kitchen and prepare recipes and meals from start to finish.”
LLCC culinary camps are open to kids entering fifth through eighth grade with themes including Make, Bake, Donate (where campers prepare scratch-made baked goods and donate a portion to local shelters), Around the World, Make a Meal and Cookie Week. For more information, visit https://www.llcc.edu/community-education/youth-programs/summer-college-for-kids.
Ashley Meyer is a chef, freelance writer and mom of two based in Springfield.