Jul. 2, 2008 - Kids in the Kitchen
I have recently been having an email conversation with my best Singaporean friend, that I've never met, Serene. You all have many best friends that you've never met in real life too, don't ya? 
Anyway,
our conversation has been on what to allow or not allow children to do in the kitchen. I was just thinking how often I've read someone's blog and it has given me vision and new motivation for reaching higher or doing something different. There are some areas that I've been good about teaching my kids things in the kitchen, and it has paid off SO MUCH in helping me, and building confidence in them.
Other areas I still need to work on. I thought it MAY help others, if I posted some ideas of what my children are able to do in the kitchen to encourage you to take the time to let yours help you too. I realize that sometimes it's just quicker and easier to do it yourself....and some things might not be safe, but OFTENTIMES, we moms just want to take the easy road and do it ourselves for no good reason other than we are TIRED.
I just wanted to encourage you to say "YES" more than "No" When the little ones (or bigger ones) ask to help. If they are used to being told "No" you may need to initiate. It is really neat to see their pride and excitement as daddy and siblings RAVE over what they have made.
3yog: Loves to crack eggs (it takes a long time as she picks tiny pieces of shell off the egg and I have to retrieve some shell from the bowl, but she just loves this job...we have lost a few eggs on the ground, but not many)
Cuts olives in slices with a butter knife.
Dumps ingredients in the bowl after I measure them.
Uses the electric beaters
sets table and gets water for everyone
puts cupcake liners in muffin tins for muffins or cupcakes
5yob: all of the above, plus makes toast in toaster oven,
pours bigger drinks like milk and juice for family
cuts lettuce/tomatoes/carrots for salads using a sharp knife
helps grate cheese
grinds wheat berries for bread with our electric grain mill
puts dishes away from dishdrainer
sweeps floor and cleans table
8yog: she loves to cook most of all.
She can do all the above plus she has learned to make bread totally from scratch and does an amazing job. She has taken this over a few months before her 8th birthday.
makes all the pancakes for breakfast
can follow easy recipes on her own
makes waffles for breakfast
washes dishes and even hard pots
10yob: can do above except hasn't done the bread.
washes dishes,
can follow most easy recipes
makes eggs/pancakes/grilled cheese/waffles
is my chief watermelon/cantelope/honeydew slicer
Can make an awesome salad cuting everything up.
12yob: Can make pretty much any recipe. Has done some really hard ones and they turned out great.
Makes granola for family
He hasn't learned to make bread, but is able to make almost every recipe that I can do, with some guidance on variations. (I rarely follow a recipe as is...)
I'm sure there are more that I'm not thinking of.
The 4 oldest do most of the kitchen clean up.
They take turns rotating between:
wash dishes
put clean dishes away
sweep floor
clear/clean table
If one of them cooks, then I do their job for the meal.
If you have more ideas that your family does, please comment on that so we can all learn even more.
Oh, one last thing we have done is "turned our kitchen upside down"
We keep all the plates/cups/bowls on the lowest shelves so even the 3yo can reach them to put them away or set the table. We put the other bigger items up higher.
So next time your 2yr old wants to "help" in the kitchen, find something for them to do so you can say "Yes!" It will bond you guys together, help them want to obey you more outside the kitchen and give them a feeling of being needed in the family.
Comments
Jul. 2, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Petersonclan
Of course, you could just have a hard pregnancy and say, "I don't care what we eat.... see what you can make." That has been proven successful in the petersonclan's house...
Jul. 3, 2008 - Thanks..
Posted by MamaLim
... for the kick in the behind to get things started in this house!
And I *really* need to be delivered of my perfectionist tendencies!!!
Serene in Singapore, probably her ONLY Singaporean friend! Lol!
Jul. 13, 2008 - Great ideas!
Posted by mtnmamaof4
This is very inspiring! Especially the turning the kitchen upside down part! I have been feeling so convicted about spending too much time in the kitchen. I don't want my kids to remember me hanging out in the kitchen while they do their own thing! (In fact, Cindy Rushton just talked about this yesterday!) But I needed ideas to get my kids in the kitchen with me, and you've provided many! Thanks so much! ~mel
