What they missed in school! Cooking in school!
While a general education can include many subjects, not everyone agrees on what are some of the most important subjects a child should be taught!
As a baby we learn how to control our bodies and how to speak. But early on we want to learn how to read and write. That subject is one of the first, not optional! Without being able to read, how are you going to learn most other subjects?
But one that I also consider essential is learning how to cook. After all, eating is not optional either. Yet this is something I never learned while growing up. I never even learned how to make a simple sandwich, until I graduated from college, and had to figure it out myself.
Yet your health depends in great measure on what you eat on a daily basis. Continuously going to fast food restaurants is not a good option!
As part of what they missed in school, this article wouldn’t be complete without the following:
Cooking skills
Start your child early in helping with preparation of meals. They will find it fun. Teach them how to make simple stuff at first. A peanut butter sandwich, corn flakes with milk, a glass of orange juice. Next let them get a little creative, a sandwich or toast with butter, mayonnaise, cheese or ham, lettuce, and tomato. Children love to experiment and try to come with their own ideas. Soon they will want to make something that doesn’t really seem right from your own experience. Chocolate syrup on a ham sandwich? Pickles on a jelly sandwich? But let them figure it out themselves.
It is not hard to make scrambled eggs, or a salad. Spaghetti with a nice sauce, grill some meat or hamburgers on a barbeque. Fruit salad is always popular. Add a banana or blue berries to yoghurt. How to make tea.
Make sure to take them shopping at the grocery store and pick out the foods. You can even put their math lessons to practice. Figure out what arithmetic is for. Count the money and how much change you get back!
And who knows, maybe they will pursue a career in food preparation. Become a popular chef. But in any family a decent meal is always appreciated!
So put cooking on the list of essentials to learn at a young age! Who knows, some day they will want to bring you breakfast in bed for your birthday or Mother’s day!
Make sure that your kids eat breakfast before going to school each day. Kids who are hungry is a recipe for disaster later in the morning in class. This manifests as cranky, unruly, dispersed, lack of attention and a craving for sweets such as candy or sugary sodas which magnifies the lack of attention. This can greatly contribute to the phenomenon called ADHD and is its primary cause. At SmartBubbleGum.com we have other articles where we address this common problem.
ChatGPT has recipes too and can greatly help you with your cooking skills!
Of all the things that we may think of to have ChaGPT do for us, recipes could be another useful thing. I had been asking Alexa for recipes for the past handful of years. I have an Echo device in my kitchen. Handy. But now there is a new chef in town as well. It is a good idea to teach your kids how to use these devices to look up recipes.
Here’s a simple and delicious recipe for scrambled eggs from ChatGPT!
Ingredients:
- 2-4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk (optional, for creaminess)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter (or cooking oil)
Instructions:
- Crack the Eggs:
In a bowl, crack the eggs and add a pinch of salt, pepper, and milk if desired. Whisk the mixture until the yolks and whites are fully combined and the mixture is slightly frothy. - Heat the Pan:
Place a non-stick skillet or frying pan over medium-low heat and add the butter. Allow the butter to melt completely but not brown. - Cook the Eggs:
Pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Let it sit for a few seconds, then gently stir with a spatula or wooden spoon, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan as the eggs begin to set. - Slow and Steady:
Continue stirring gently. If you want soft, creamy scrambled eggs, remove the pan from the heat while the eggs are still slightly runny, as they will continue cooking from residual heat. - Serve:
Plate the eggs immediately. Optionally, sprinkle with additional salt, pepper, or fresh herbs like chives or parsley.
More advanced cooking Skills:
So that was a simple one, which a beginner chef can easily work with. But some kids can really get into making even more delicious dishes, so here is one more advanced: