HOT TOPIC: Cooking in the Classroom
Volume 2, Issue 12 - November 20, 2005"This time of year memories of holidays and family get-togethers are inextricably intertwined with favorite recipes and traditional dinner favorites. It seems like a natural connection to bring cooking into the classroom during the holiday season! But why relegate classroom cooking to one specific time of year? With the convenience of hotplates and microwaves, primary teachers have been cooking across the curriculum for decades. And why not? Cooking utilizes all the senses and infuses learning with a kinesthetic component that helps reach learners who need to interact with their environment.
And it’s not just about learning styles. Cooking cuts across the curriculum, from history and mathematics to language arts and science. There is no better way to employ a multitude of skills like organizing, measuring, weighing, reading, listening and timing. Then there’s the life skills that cooking incorporates, such as planning and preparing nutritious meals, working safely around heat and sharp utensils, sharing, cooperating and collaborating. There are a multitude of benefits to including cooking in your classroom!
While many of these resources can be used at the elementary level, there are also great secondary finds online, such as http://www.yumyum.com/student/ and http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/unitstudies/a/minifood.htm. Whatever your approach to cooking in the curriculum, I hope you’ll find these offerings a tasty addition to your library of D12 resources!."
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