There's Power in the Kitchen!

Hello, friends! What are life skills and how exactly do they fit into the kitchen? A life skill is basically defined as a skill or ability to help individuals to navigate the daily challenges of everyday living. Life skills help and empower us to make informed decisions, critically think, problem-solve, empathize and socialize with others, navigate relationships in a healthy manner, and manage our lives in a respectful, healthy way towards ourselves and to others. Cooking is not just about preparing meals; it offers a variety of opportunities to develop these essential life skills. Here is a simple list of common life skills which can be learned and built upon through the process of cooking:

• Fundamental educational skills of math, reading, comprehension, and science

• Organization

• Task completion

• Time management

• Social skills

• Responsibility

• Self esteem and confidence

• Self-control

• Patience and perseverance

• Independence

• Collaboration and teamwork

• Creativity

• Navigating a kitchen

• Grocery shopping

• Meal planning and preparation

• Budgeting and finance

• Knife skills

• Tool and utensil uses

• How to use small and large appliances

• Kitchen safety and hygiene

• Ingredient and nutritional knowledge

• Recipe interpretation, recipe planning and preparation

• And, so many more...

I love watching my students grow and go in the kitchen! How exciting to know that learning to cook and working together in the kitchen contributes to the development of so many essential life skills!

Check out the cooking class schedule here for the many opportunities for your student(s) to learn to cook and build life skills, or continue building on the foundation of skills they already have. Thank you for your time today - you are amazing! Have a terrific day!

Let's connect in the kitchen! - Mrs. Mary