The kitchen is my favorite room in a house, so I spend a lot of my day in it, preparing meals, cooking, and cleaning up.  My boys have always been interested in being involved in the kitchen – when they were younger it was unloading cupboards and drawers and exploring the dishwasher.  As soon as they were old enough, I would put them on chairs so they could reach the counter to “help” me cook.  I enjoy spending the time with them talking about food, introducing them to ingredients, and teaching them cooking skills.  We use measuring wet and dry ingredients for math lessons and counting practice.  They love cracking eggs (we always use a separate bowl – and it usually involves a big wipe up).  I get the boys involved in as much prep and cooking as is safe for them to participate in (no sharp knives, stove, or oven yet) and it’s impressive how much they do well.  We open spice jars and smell them and taste oils and vinegars.  I think knowing the raw ingredients has increased their appreciation and understanding of their food and meals.

Sometimes I don’t want my kids anywhere near the kitchen while I am cooking!  It definitely slows the process down and interrupts some of my own quiet time.  HOWEVER, there are lots of times when they want to help me out with dinner, and I certainly don’t discourage them since I know how special it can be to have that time with them.  I do love the learning opportunities, whether it is helping their hand-eye coordination during measuring, or explaining the math involved, or just fostering an interest in food and how to prepare it.  I am often surprised by their desire to taste the raw ingredients and spices.  Getting the kids involved in baking is another adventure altogether — as long as I mentally prepare myself for a messy kitchen, I am all in.  I have been know, though, to pre-measure all the ingredients before beginning to bake with my girls.  Of course, this is more a precaution for me since baking is not my strong suit.  Even though they don’t help with the measuring, they have fun with all the mixing and scooping.

Other than helping with cooking, both girls are old enough to help set the table, and it is a task they take turns with.  I used to just put out the napkins and silverware for them to arrange on the table, but now they know where all the supplies are and can do it themselves.  Our older daughter can now reach the counter, so she also clears her plate from the table when she is done.  My hope is that they don’t think of these small tasks as chores, but as positive ways to contribute to the family.