Learning at home can provide so many opportunities to learn about cooking and food. You can explore what is interesting to you and can even involve your family in what you are doing. Cooking at home can give the chance to slow down and think about what you’re eating, to be curious about food, and examine what’s in your fridge or garden with new questioning eyes. Best of all, when you are learning about food, the results are delicious. What’s stopping you? Get learning and eating!
Did you know when you are cooking you are learning
math, science, language arts, social studies, and physical and health education?
Really!
It’s important to always think about safety in the kitchen. Be sure to ask an adult if it’s ok to cook and ask them to be your assistant, if needed.
Importantly, if you want to be allowed back in the kitchen another day, be sure to clean up when you’re done.
FOOD JOURNAL
When learning about food and cooking, it will be useful to have your own special book where you can put all food-related activities. We suggest a Food Journal. In your journal you can keep recipes, ideas, research, drawings, you name it. It will be all in one place and it’s all yours.
We’ve cooked with so many kids in Vancouver (more than 17,500 of them!) and they have all created Project CHEF journals. Each journal is unique to the person who made it. Here’s a few examples from little cooks we have worked with and older chefs too.
Many of our students from a long time ago still have these special books. Hopefully, long after we have had to stay at home, you will have this Food Journal that will document this time: the food you cooked and ate, and learning that interested you.
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1
Find a notebook, duo-tang, file folder, large envelope or stack of paper you’ve tied together. Create a cover that has a catchy title. Draw some of your favourite family meals, favourite foods or some ideas of what you want to learn to cook.
STEP 2
Colour it. Make it special. Stickers? Why not. Packaging from favourite snacks? Sure. Pictures from magazines or newspapers? It’s your special book so put your stamp on it.
We hope some of the Food Journals we’ve posted will inspire you or you can go your own way with it!
Curriculum Connections
Language Arts
Arts Education
© Project CHEF
Not to be copied or reproduced without express permission from the author
