Education in the Kitchen
What Your Child Can Learn From Baking
Following Directions Not unlike computer science, baking requires a strict order of operations. The wet and dry ingredients often need to be mixed separately and then folded together. It only takes one deviation from the instructions for a pastry to go from delicious to disgusting. Spending time in the kitchen, then, is a great way for kids to learn the importance of reading directions carefully and comprehending what they’ve just read. Cultural Understanding Cuisine is a fundamental part of every culture. Introducing your child to dishes from around the world will expand their horizons. Want your child to be a less picky eater? Involving them in the cooking process is the surest way to get them excited about trying new flavors and ingredients.
Nutrition Now, you might not think that baking cookies will encourage greater nutritional awareness, but hear us out. Sugar is often buried within packaged foods. When you bake something at home, a child gets to see, firsthand, just how much sugar goes into certain sweets. Meanwhile, cooking savory dishes also allows them to learn what constitutes a balanced, healthy diet.
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, you’re probably wracking your brain for the perfect recipe to bake for your loved one. There’s nothing wrong with store-bought chocolate, but there’s no topping the personal touch of some homemade baked goods. If you have kids, baking alongside them can be just as rewarding as enjoying the fruits of your labor. As an added bonus, baking is a hands-on opportunity where your child can learn all sorts of important concepts. Here is a short list of some of the educational lessons hiding in your kitchen. Math Baking is a numbers game. Just take a look at any recipe, and you’ll recognize the importance of math in building a beautiful cake. Having children measure out ingredients helps them learn about fractions and ratios. You can also test your kids by doubling or halving a recipe for multiplication and division practice. With older kids, practice unit conversions by asking, for example, how many pints are in half a gallon.
COACH SPOTLIGHT
Meet JENNY MURPHY
This month, we are incredibly excited to introduce you to
Coach Jenny is originally from Louisiana, so a taste for good food and exceptional cooking is in her blood. Speaking of great food, she will be enjoying exotic cuisine this May in Greece! Dave surprised her with the plane tickets last Christmas. She’s so excited for this trip, and we are so excited for her.
Coach Jenny Murphy, aka the preschool whisperer.
Coach Jenny and her husband, Dave, have two children: 18-year-old Mack and 16-year-old Emily. When she’s
When asked about advice she has for parents of 4- to 7-year-olds, Coach Jenny said, “Let them enjoy tumbling and learn to love the sport. It will help their strength and flexibility. All tumbling is good practice.” Coach Jenny’s favorite part of her job is seeing how excited her athletes get when they successfully perform a trick after working hard to get it right. She says the hardest parts of her job are making learning fun and keeping her young athletes’ attention and focus. Coach Jenny’s favorite tricks are cartwheels because it’s usually the first trick her athletes pick up. And who doesn’t love a fun cartwheel? Thank you Coach Jenny for all that you do at Next Level Tumbling. We look forward to many more years of your expert coaching, and we wish you the best time in Greece.
not at the gym, Coach Jenny enjoys painting, cooking, reading, and hanging out with her dogs,
Molly and Henry, and their newly adopted kitten, Minor.
Want to know some rapid-fire fun facts about Coach Jenny? Her favorite holiday is Christmas. She enjoys watching “Expedition Unknown” or humming along to “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles. On the weekends, she likes to kick back and watch “The Goonies” while chowing down on a delicious Italian meal.
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