If you walk past the Early Years Wayang building you can often catch a delicious smell wafting from the Learning Kitchen. This year we have installed two ovens in the EY Learning Kitchen and have been enjoying many different cooking activities. The most exciting cooking activity is when some PTA volunteers come in to cook with our EY classes. This PTA organized activity is going to continue until December and all classes have had a wonderful time cooking and eating the delicious recipes from around the world.  It has been an exciting way to develop our sense of community and work together to provide the students with various cooking experiences.

Encouraging children to cook is great for creating healthy eating habits while improving self-confidence and self-esteem. However the benefits do not stop there.  Young children are sensory learners and are able to engage in the experience on many levels. Cooking provides opportunities for students to develop fine-motor skills, work cooperatively, use mathematics skills such as counting and measuring, develop understanding of science concepts such as temperature and change as well as become aware of and take risks trying foods from many different countries. Children are also able to develop an understanding of their likes and dislikes and appreciate that everyone has different preferences.Students have been learning about safety and healthy habits. They have to wash their hands before they cook as well as make sure they move sensibly in the kitchen area. Students have also been learning about using the kitchen equipment safely and sensibly.  We would like to thank all the PTA parents who have contributed to our cooking times and made it an enjoyable educational experience for our students. If you would like more information about cooking with children, a fantastic resource is the website link below.

http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/