Incorporate cooking into your homeschool lessons

Geography lessons become more exciting when food is involved, so encourage your children to use recipes from the countries they are studying. Add an international flair to your meals with Indian curry, Chinese dumplings or Ethiopian lentil stew. Geography-themed foods can also have a closer-to-home feel. When you are studying your home state, research and cook some of the foods that are considered the specialties of your state. For Illinois residents, that might include horseshoes, Chicago-style hot dogs and locally-grown popcorn.Holidays and seasons offer many cooking opportunities. Try latkes at Hanukkah, cookies at Christmas or roasted pumpkin seeds at Halloween. Make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day. During tree-tapping season, make a dish that involves real maple syrup. If hot weather is getting your family down, invite your children to make homemade popsicles or ice cream with you. Kids who might normally be resistant to the idea of cooking might become more interested when the food ties into a favorite holiday or celebration.Make a dish that represents the historical period you are studying. Chicago Review Press has a line of activity books covering various time periods, such as "Colonial Kids" by Laurie Carlson and "Old Testament Days" by Nancy I. Sanders. These books include many recipes that help children feel connected to days gone by. Try meat pies from medieval times or baked fish like the ancient Greeks would have eaten. Your children can help fix a historical snack or even an entire meal.View the list »
There are many ways to incorporate cooking into your homeschool lessons.

Homeschooling newsletter

Cooking is an important skill for children to learn, but it doesn't necessarily have to be an independent subject. Rather, you can tie cooking opportunities into the topics you are already covering in your homeschool. View this list to learn four easy ways to take your children's learning a step further by including kitchen experiences in their homeschool lessons.

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Teaching children to cook provides them with a lifelong skill. Cooking also teaches children other valuable lessons. For example, measuring develops math skills, and using a recipe involves following directions. Cooking is a science lesson as kids discover how combining ingredients or heating a mixture results in changes. Pouring ingredients and stirring dough develop kids' fine motor skills. There are many lessons to be learned in the kitchen.

Cooking with kids is fun, and children love to sample their creations. Tying your cooking experiences in with other topics your children are covering reinforces their studies and helps you fit culinary lessons into your busy homeschooling schedule. Check out this list to learn about four perfect opportunities for adding kitchen experiences into your school plans.

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  • Make a dish that represents the historical period you are studying. Chicago Review Press has a line of activity books covering various time periods, such as "Colonial Kids" by Laurie Carlson and "Old Testament Days" by Nancy I. Sanders. These books include many recipes that help children feel connected to days gone by. Try meat pies from medieval times or baked fish like the ancient Greeks would have eaten. Your children can help fix a historical snack or even an entire meal.
  • Holidays and seasons offer many cooking opportunities. Try latkes at Hanukkah, cookies at Christmas or roasted pumpkin seeds at Halloween. Make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day. During tree-tapping season, make a dish that involves real maple syrup. If hot weather is getting your family down, invite your children to make homemade popsicles or ice cream with you. Kids who might normally be resistant to the idea of cooking might become more interested when the food ties into a favorite holiday or celebration.
  • Geography lessons become more exciting when food is involved, so encourage your children to use recipes from the countries they are studying. Add an international flair to your meals with Indian curry, Chinese dumplings or Ethiopian lentil stew. Geography-themed foods can also have a closer-to-home feel. When you are studying your home state, research and cook some of the foods that are considered the specialties of your state. For Illinois residents, that might include horseshoes, Chicago-style hot dogs and locally-grown popcorn.
  • Food is a common theme in children's books, so after reading a book with your child, do some cooking that ties in with the story. Make blueberry muffins to go with Robert McCloskey's "Blueberries for Sal" or chocolate chip cookies after reading "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Numeroff. In Laura Ingalls Wilder's book "Farmer Boy," Almanzo's mother is always cooking something delicious; pretend you are his mother and make homemade doughnuts or a stack of pancakes. Making fresh bread to eat with jam is a good activity to pair with the story "Bread and Jam for Frances" by Russell Hoban.
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, Peoria Homeschooling Examiner

Meghan Ross is a homeschooling mother of two young children in central Illinois. She has been working with children for 15 years, in church, public school, and homeschooling settings. She believes that good books and hands-on activities make lessons come to life for both children and the adults...

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