Meal Preparation for Homeschoolers
Ideas to Teach Lessons and Make Dinner at the Same Time
Oct 4, 2007
Daily meal times can be a great learning tool for the homeschooling family. With a little patience children can learn math, science, health and nutrition, improve reading skills, and even master home economics, all while helping out with family meals.
Preschoolers
Get your younger children involved in making family meals by letting them help with things like planning, shopping, and simple kitchen tasks.
- Use cookbooks. Even the youngest child can help you look at illustrated cookbooks. Talk about the pictures. Ask children how they think the foods in the picture taste. Sweet? Salty? Do they think it would be easy or hard to make? Do they think the food is good for them? This can be a great time to talk about different food groups, and teach good nutrition. Select items you and your child can make together, write a list together of what ingredients you’ll need.
- At the store. Taking children shopping can be a wonderful learning adventure. Children who are learning to read can help you by reading your grocery list. Younger children can help find fruits, vegetables or other items. You can talk about good nutrition. Tell children where different foods come from.
- Doing the cooking. Ask children to find different ingredients (such as a can of peas, or a ripe banana.) Help them pour, sift or stir. Talk about what you are doing. Show them how to measure with spoons and cups.
- Cleaning up. Let children help with clean-up as well. Rinsing dishes next to mom or dad can be one of the fonder memories of childhood. If the child is able to help put away leftovers, or wipe the table, push in the chairs, etc… this can help teach responsibility as well.
Middle School Children
Children of middle school age are generally able to plan a healthy meal. They can help with cooking, clean-up and shopping as well.
- Let your child plan meals that they are able to prepare themselves. Talk about the importance of healthy diet with your child. Give them guidelines for planning the meal that include a balance of all the food groups. Talk about what is involved in making a certain dish. Will it be hard or easy? How much time will it take to prepare the meal? How much do they think it will cost to buy the ingredients? Will all of the ingredients be easy to find at the grocery store?
- Plan the shopping list. Use flyers and coupon books to find out how much each item costs. Add up the list. Ask your child if he/she thinks the dish is expensive, or reasonable in cost.
- At the store let your child help with shopping. Give him/her tasks such as to find the least expensive jar of mayonnaise, or the healthiest brand of cereal. Read nutritional information together. Compare prices and shop for the best bargains.
- In the kitchen, if your child has planned wisely he/she should be able to construct the meal without much adult help. Mom or Dad may need to supervise, and handle any cutting or chopping that needs done. Give your child as much freedom as you feel they can handle. This will vary depending on age and ability.
Teens
Mealtime can provide valuable lessons for both boys and girls. Older teens can handle the majority of the planning, and preparation, as well as the clean-up of meals. Allowing your teens to do the cooking a few nights a week will give them a great head start in life.
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