It just goes to show...
I realize that in an earlier post I noted the skill with which Becca is able to crack an egg. Well, this morning, we made eggs for breakfast, and Becca asked to help. Mornings being busy times in our house even though it is summer, Becca was not being as closely supervised as she should have been, I suppose. I allowed her to crack all five eggs needed for the breakfast and scramble them while I busied myself packing lunch for my husband and getting the pan ready for the eggs. I didn't notice the presence of the bits of eggshell that my husband found when he started eating the meal. What I saw when I got the bowl to pour onto the pan was well-scrambled eggs. Husband ended up with a different breakfast, and the eggs ended up in the disposal! A lesson well-learned for several of us... I need to watch Becca more while she is doing the prep work for the meal (her favorite part since she is not allowed to use the stove by herself yet), Becca needs to use better technique when breaking the eggs and make sure the shells end up
outside the bowl, and my husband may need to spend more time teaching her that technique.
Live and learn! (I wonder if anyone will ever invent something that removes the shells for us?)
Making potatoes... and other things
Today's efforts by Becca in the kitchen included making parts of all three of her meals for the day...
For breakfast, Becca showed Mom that as a 10-year-old, she can break eggs better than her parent, with no shells ending up in the bowl. At her age, I am not afraid to admit, successfully cracking the egg shell, getting the yolk and white into the bowl intact, and NOT getting any shell in with it was a real challenge for me. So much so that I actually refused to do anything that involved eggs for a very VERY long time, unless someone else was available to do the breaking for me. My young chef has once again shown me that it is possible to encourage our youngsters to find the joy in a simple task. She made scrambled eggs this morning for her breakfast to demonstrate this fact. This was followed by assisting in making "from scratch" mashed potatoes (with some help from both parents) as part of dinner. Normally relying on the quick and easy box of potato flakes (time just doesn't seem to be there in our busy schedules), we decided to use up some potatoes (Yukon Golds--great taste in this one) in our dinner tonight. Becca served as vegetable washer--armed with vegetable brush, a collander, and her trusty step-stool at the sink. After we cooked them on the stove, flavored by a bit of butter, garlic and rosemary, Becca took over the mashing and serving. It was an excellent addition to our meatloaf and green bean dinner! What's next? Come back and check out the next time Becca visits the kitchen...
Allowing Children to Cook Alone
Next week, I begin teaching summer school. Becca and her older sister will be at home all day, and will have to make their own lunch. Because Becca and her sister have learned what I expect them to eat for their midday meals, they know what to make. However, kitchen rules are obviously needed in my absence. The girls will be limited by what they can use when making their lunches. The stove and oven are clearly off-limits, as are the food processor, microwave, and anything sharper than a butter knife. I am, of course, expecting to go through much peanut butter, jelly, bologna and cheese before the summer is over. Becca will, undoubtedly, be looking for me to arrive home each day to try out her latest recipe idea, since she is constantly looking through the cookbooks for them. Somehow, I think I may also be greeted by a dishwashing nightmare on my arrival home as well.
Be sure any time you allow your children to take over the kitchen that they know the rules whether you are there or not. By enforcing the rules when you are there to monitor them, you can be confident that they will be followed when you are not.
Recipes, Recipes
Becca's favorite books to page through seem to be cookbooks (when she's not reading the American Girl series). However, finding cookbooks for kids can be a challenge. The page for
MunchkinMenus , a book for busy parents wanting to keep their kids' diets healthy, has a wonderful article about cooking with kids. It discusses how each age from 1 to 10 years old can help in the kitchen. I have to agree with what is written by the author. Becca has progressed through those stages since she started helping our resident chef (Dad, rather than scientist Mom) several years ago. I recommend you visit this site and check out the article.
Cooking with Kids?
This website is all about the fun, challenges and ideas created when the kids start cooking. My ten-year-old daughter's favorite channel isn't Disney, Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. It's the Food Network, with Rachel Ray as her personal heroine. The tales of what starts happening when Becca starts cooking will be following...
