Home » Education & Career » Unschooling » Unschoolers in the Kitchen

Unschoolers in the Kitchen

© Teri Brown

I consider the kitchen to be the cave of wonders when it comes to natural education. The children and I use it for so much, talking, eating, learning and even lessons in courtesy. No need for formal lessons, you’re learning on the job, so to speak. Having your children spend a lot of time in the kitchen has other benefits as well, they just might start taking over meals for you!

My own children, at ten and eleven can make cookies, brownies, pancakes, scrambled eggs and other culinary crafts. During this time they have learned fractions, timing, serving, nutrition, chemistry and a host of other real life skills. Here are some tips and ideas for using the kitchen in your unschool.

Boost your child's self esteem by helping them master a recipe till perfection. Nothing makes a person feel better than having a friend or relative say, ";Are we going to have some of that wonderful…" fill in the blank.

Learn about other countries by cooking dishes native to that country. Children are far more liable to eat new foods if they had a hand in cooking them.

My kids like to invent their own foods. They will mix this and that and then bake it. I have watched over the years as there concoctions became more and more realistic as they gained experience with cooking real food.

Chemistry in the kitchen is a natural. Start with recipes that include boiling water into steam or using ice. Scrambled eggs are another fun one that show how one element can change into something else. There are library books that have kitchen science experiments. If you have never played with cabbage leaf water and alcohol you and the kids are in for a treat!

Kitchen’s are also a wonderful place for some one on one discussions. There is just something about feeding your family together that puts people at ease. If you haven’t used the kitchen much in your unschool why don’t you begin right away? Couldn’t you use a cookie today?

The copyright of the article Unschoolers in the Kitchen in Unschooling is owned by . Permission to republish Unschoolers in the Kitchen in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.