Teach Your Kids to Cook. Who Taught you?

Teaching your kids to cook is like teaching them to drive, only harder. There's no imaginary brake, for one thing, and you'll go through more eggs. When I read through Cheryl Sternman Rule’s article today, I questioned who taught me how to cook, and how this was taught.

Cheryl states that as parents, many of us take great pleasure in feeding our children -- in watching them enjoy the fruits of our labour and nourishing their bodies with rib-sticking fare. But at some point, as our kids get older and more responsible, we need to provide them with the knowledge and tools to begin feeding themselves.

She even gives the following five simple tips to get you started.

1. Keep the mood light.

Kitchens brim with potentially dangerous equipment. From hot stoves to sharp knives, there's plenty around to make you nervous -- but steel yourself. Kids can read anxiety, and if you're not relaxed, they won't be either. Supervise them closely and be aware of hazards, but proceed anyway, with an upbeat voice and smiling eyes.

2. Strike a deal.

Kids take to new learning opportunities best when they have a stake in the outcome, so make them part of the process. If they want to make cookies, let them. But the next lesson is yours to choose. Alternate between treats and more healthful, everyday fare, from cookies and pies to salads and smoothies.

3. Don't neglect terminology.

Kids are blank slates, and words like fold, sear, and sauté are meaningless until properly defined. You can use easier words if you like, but why bother? Mastering a new lexicon is part of skill-building; plus, kids are sponges when it comes to language acquisition. Soon they'll be bandying about new words like natives. ("Mom, can I go sauté up and down on your bed?")

4. Dig deeper.

Teaching kids to cook also presents opportunities to talk about culture, family history, nutrition, food politics, and hunger. Depending on your child's age, consider sprinkling your lessons with gentle forays into these deeper waters, avoiding heavy-handed moralizing but introducing your kids to some of the broader issues surrounding food. You're not just educating a future cook; you're influencing a lifelong eater.

5. Keep your eye on the prize.

According to Cheryl, parents’ ultimate goal should not the creation of restaurant-quality dishes, but boosting their child's self-esteem and encouraging their burgeoning independence. If, at the end of your lessons, you've got a happy kid who's excited to spend time in the kitchen, you've done your job, and done it well.

Cheryl Sternman Rule is a food writer in San Jose, California. Her first cookbook, Ripe, was published by Running Press is 2012. She is currently teaching her sons to cook.

http://www.parents.com/recipes/tips/cookingwithkids/teach-your-kids-to-cook/?esrc=nwpdbk062516&did=30690

Stacey Fru honoured among Africa’s youngest published authors 2015

Are these Africa’s youngest published authors? World marks #InternationalChildrensBookDay

World marks #InternationalChildrensBookDay: “Once upon a time”

2 April every year the world celebrates children’s books and inspiring a love of reading.

Each year the Day is sponsored by a different country member of the International Board on Books for Young People. It decides on a theme and invites an author from that country to write a message to the children of the world and a well-known illustrator to design a poster.

The day is specially celebrated to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children’s books. This year’s theme is “Once Upon A Time”. The country sponsoring the event is Brazil.

Hans Christian Andersen

On this same day, the world also celebrates the late Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday. He was born on the 2 April 1805 and died on 4 August 1875. Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages.

The books according to Wikipedia have become culturally embedded in the West’s collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well.

Celebrating young published authors

Stacey Fru

1. Stacey Fru

Stacey is a fun-loving and bubbly young girl born on the 16th of February 2007 in Johannesburg. She is the second of four children and a Grade 3 learner. Stacey is a self-acclaimed and self-trained published South African Author. Stacey is writing stories, essays and attempting songs. She is a guitarist who loves the sound of her own voice.

This book titled Smelly Cats is about two cats who are cousins. It portrays the common challenges of different socio-religious and academic backgrounds as well as challenges posed by geographical locations to the two on a daily basis. Stacey’s book also depicts that even though the cats come from the same family, they are bound to have differences due to who they are. The constant fights are real reflections of daily lives. However just like in real life, fights are a vital spice of life that do not last forever.

Source: http://staceyfru.co.za/

Reikantse Manaka

2. Reikantse Manaka

The 11 – year- old from Free State is not an ordinary 10-year-old.

Manaka, unlike her peers, would rather read and write during break at school than play.

The result of this is that at her tender age, Manaka is already a published author whose book is entitled, High Ten for Reikantse.

The 36-page offering is a collection of short stories and the book was a real team effort with some story ideas coming from Manaka’s 6-year-old sister Rorisang.

Apart from writing, which she calls her first love, Reikantse also does speech and drama at school as well as public speaking.

3. Ngure Matu Ndiritu

Ngure Matu Ndiritu

He is Kenya’s youngest published author.

Out of the Box is the title of the book written by Ngure. The book was published in 2014 when he was just 8 years old.

He hopes to write 100 books by the time he gets to 30 years.

Ngure wants to be  be a pilot and, if that fails, the president of Kenya in that order.