By Tony A Ellis

Keeping kids happy and not pulling apart the house is always really hard. When they are bored at home on school holidays, it is even harder.

I always remember licking the beating sticks when Mom cooked cakes. It was one of the best times in my childhood. Buying cup cake mix is very cheap and easy. All you normally needs are eggs, butter and water.

Cooking with kids can be fun, but will always is very messy. Every Wednesday we have cake day with my 2 and 3 year old children. They look forward to it every week. Every time they see an egg now they say, "cake?" It is one of my favourite times in the week as well. Three weeks ago, we bought a new cup cake tray, that was in the shape of trains. The first cup cakes were great and the kids ate all of them in record speed.

Tips for cake making with kids:

    Be ready for a big mess.
    Have the kids on the another side of the bench and chairs so they can help.
    Clean at every stage and sent kids to play when you are cleaning up.
    Let the kids lick the mixing sticks and bowl.
    Don't charge clothes or clean the floor until they have finished.
    It does have to be perfect it is for the kids not a cake baking challenge, let them do as much as they can

Health options Last week we tried something different. We made Risotto trains. Cooked the rice added flavour (onion, beef stock or other stock) three eggs and cheese. Put the mix in the train cup cake and cooked then ready. Kids had rice trains for lunch and ate everything!!! My 3 year old would not eat rice before we made them into a train. Now he has tried it he will eat rice and it has opened up more menu items.

Tips for healthy food:

    If they make it, they will eat it no strong colours e.g rice with red capsicum etc. Kids will start saying that they don't like it.
    If it has eggs, get them to break into a separate bowl. It will make a mess and you will have to get egg shells out.
    Know it will take 3 times as long and 10 times as messy but they eat it!
    This will work well for other foods.
    Most times it doesn't even have to look like a train as long as they know it has come from that cup cake tray they will eat it.

By Michelle Falla


After a long day at work, would it be nice to come home to a dinner table set with plates, drinks, napkins and forks? Or even better, how about walking into the smell of aromatic delight coming from your kitchen? It is possible to have your kids, prepare a meal with dad's supervision and with some initial teaching and training.

Children naturally love to explore, and cooking is the best way for them to become creative. Why? It teaches many skills including: confidence, creativity, math, science, reading, geography, nutrition, healthy eating habits, culture and organization. There is no other subject area or hobby that truly integrates so much richness. Try to think of one? If you look at school subjects, most things are taught in isolation. Not cooking. It is the best well rounded subject I know.

So how are you going to get your kids cooking? Just start them in the kitchen no matter how old they are. Let them mix, pour and help you with simple tasks. Spend time with your child in the kitchen, teach them that cooking is not only a great life skill, but that they can be creative and make things with so many ingredients. Laugh with them at messes and mistakes, and then teach them how to clean it up or fix their mistake. Here are some other suggestions to encourage an interest in cooking:

1) Plan a family night, where you and your child do the shopping for one meal, let your child pick out things and be involved in the process.

2) Have your child help you prepare food for a party, have a "kid friendly menu" for the kids attending the party and create a sign names the food and put your child's picture next to it with a heading "created by Chef___".

3) Praise your child for doing even the simplest task in the kitchen.

4) Enroll your child in a series of cooking classes (four minimum). One class is too short to really learn much, and the child may be shy at first. But by class four, watch out! Your child will want to take more classes.

5) Make cooking a priority in your house so that kids understand the value of food made from scratch.

6) Don't let your child see that you struggle in the kitchen. Relax, and try to have fun with food. Don't prepare "boxed foods", they are not fun or interesting.

As you teach your child the value of cooking, you will be able to step back and let your child prepare some fun treats for you. But don't forget the formal training first.......especially when you don't have the time. Take your child to a series of cooking classes or enroll your child in culinary camp, and then let him or her come home and cook what they learned in class for you. Above all, make cooking fun and pleasurable for your child. And always have an adult supervise the child in the kitchen for safety reasons.

When enrolling your child in a formal cooking class, look for these basic fundamental things that your child can learn: how to safely use a knife (depending on age), how to use appliances safely(depending on age), the difference between herbs and spices, how to bake cakes, cookies, breads, how flavors go together in a dish, measuring, mixing, folding, how to be organized and follow the recipe, how to make a basic dish from scratch, how to make soups and sauces, and how to clean up while they cook. Your child will surprise you, and you'll feel good that your child is learning a healthy skill that will last a lifetime. Formal cooking classes will give your child the confidence to come home and cook in your kitchen. Cooking: the best life skill to learn!