How to Make Cooking with a Group of Children Stress-Free

Some practitioners shy away from cooking activities because they dread the mess and the chaos that is sometimes associated with children and cooking. Cooking in after-school is a great time to incorporate reading, math, science and social skills.

The following recipe was shared with us by:
Mrs. Dorothy Clark (a 20 year veteran in the school-age care field)

CORN SALSA

1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1 can (15 1/4 oz.) DelMonte Whole Kernel White Sweet Corn, drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) DelMonte Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Onions
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained

Combine corn, undrained tomatoes and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Stir in beans; heat through.

TIPS

Brace yourself. Know that children will be excited about cooking:

• Many children do not have the opportunity to participate in cooking at home.
• The anticipation of eating the end result makes children more active.

Give children tasks that not only preoccupy them but teach them something. For example:

• Even if you know the recipe calls for 1 can of corn, have a child measure it out. See how many 1/2 cups there are in a can.
• Even if the canned tomatoes are already diced, you can have a 6 or 7 yr old cut them some more with a regular butter knife.

Engage children in conversation by asking questions like:

• "How many quarter cups make a half cup?"
• "Who knows where the corn in a can comes from?"
• "What should we with these empty cans?" (discussion about recycling or recyclable art)
• "Discuss how cornstarch thickens liquids"
• "Safety tips while cooking (using a stove or hot plate, knives, etc)

Give each child a role. For example:

• can openers
• corn drainer
• someone to measure the corn
• bean drainer/rinser
• someone to measure the black beans
• tomato dicer
• stirer (everyone should get a chance to stir)
• clock watcher (timer)
• ground pepper and cornstarch adder/mixer
• someone to add the black beans at the end.

Use the cooking activity to instill certain values such as:

• Cleaning up after yourself
• Sharing and taking turns
• Table manners

Thanks for this recipe Mrs. Clark and congratulations on your 20 years at LEDP!

A Conversation about Relationships

Standing L->R: Ida, Chesca, Suzanne and Desirae

Seated L-R: Melissa, Raff and Andrea

Saturday, January 17, 2009.

A group of dedicated practitioners got together for coffee, juice and bagels to have a conversation about relationships.

Aside from earning two Professional Development hours, the idea behind the session was to move beyond the basic and obvious necessities of school-age care by improving relationships.

Building relationships in the school-age care setting makes life better not only for the children but for everyone involved.

Through the exchange of ideas and experiences amongst this dynamic group of women,

it was apparent that we all agreed that we must establish a meaningful relationship before we can lead, influence or work with others.

IDA-Stressed that consistency teaches responsibility and is crucial to a positive relationship with children. 

Both IDA and SUZANNE maintain that we do not all have to agree but we must treat everyone with sensitivity and respect.

ANDREA shared how she can like a certain child despite how challenging the work with the child can be.
We identified how important it is to find something to like in a person and build a relationship from there.
DESIRAE reminded us of the importance of giving children control with boundaries. She also tries to ignore the negative in an effort to nurture more of what she hopes to see in a child.

When MELISSA interacts with children she calls upon her own experiences as a child and is able to empathize.
RAFF's experience in supporting a child's interest is what inspired a big project at her site called the international food festival.
After a cooking activity with the children, and listening to them say: "wouldn't it be cool if we tried food from around the world?"
A culturally and socially enriching activity was born.

CHESCA says that talking is a major part of listening.  Reflecting or repeating to a child what we hear them say lets them hear themselves and confirms to them that we are hearing them correctly.

We discussed how L-I-S-T-E-N is an effective tool that can be used to develop and improve relationships:

L - Like something or find something positive.

I -  Inspire. We are inspired when someone reminds us of what is positive in ourselves.

S - Sensitive. In order to connect we must be sensitive their emotions and needs.

T - Talk. As we listen, we should reflect the words back to the speaker.

E - Empathize.  We should remember or imagine what it is like to be in the place of others.

N - Nurture. Make each encounter something that nurtures. Nurture what is good.

The beauty of this tool is that it works not only with our work with children but in our daily interactions outside of work as well.

Life is not defined by the quantity of things we have but the quality of our relationships.

It was a great conversation we had and we look forward to seeing you again.

We hope more practitioners can join us at future sessions.

~Chesca Silva 

Thaumatrope