Cooking Club – links between Curriculum and practical applications – some interesting facts and personal reflections.

As we come to the end of another term of Cooking Club I have been reflecting on the fun we have had, the creations we have made and what we have discovered.

My own reflections on cooking bring back memories of long (long) ago when my parents ‘enjoyed’ the delightful mud and sand pies my best friend and I presented to them after an afternoon of cooking in the sand pit….and of course then our treat as we savoured the delights from Mum’s kitchen – the yummiest homemade pikelets and jam that even today, makes my mouth water just thinking about them and the animal characters created from fruit to tempt even the fussiest brother .

So where does cooking fit into the school curriculum I ask myself. Surely these life skills are those that we learn from watching our parents and grandparents from a young age.

The answer is of course a resounding ‘yes’ but these early life skills are the basis of so much more.

Even from a young age, helping in the kitchen exposes us to the most engaging sensory and learning experiences. Take dough for an example – the feeling of different textures mixing together, understanding the need to add liquid to dry ingredients to make a new product, watching the changes as we roll it, press it, stretch it, taste it, cook it and eat it, freezing or heating ingredients to change the properties – all fantastic sensory and learning experiences wrapped up in a taste sensation.

But how would we be able to make this dough without an understanding of the word – ‘measurement’ (English, Maths) reading and following a recipe (English) setting the oven to specific degrees to enable successful baking (Maths and safety measures) and the properties of solids and liquids and their differences (Science) ??

Welcome to the world of Literacy, Science and Maths wrapped up in Cooking!

For example, in cooking we refer to simple fractions such as half a cup or a quarter of a cup, measurements such as double quantities or halve them, we divide mixtures, we separate eggs, we combine dry and wet ingredients, we share mixture into equal parts, we accurately measure, change properties from liquid to solids and test different combinations – important facts covered in the Maths, Science and English curriculums.

In addition, necessary components of the cooking experience involve shopping, writing a list following a procedure and the handling of money so another tick in the curriculum box for Maths and English.

The fine motor skills needed in the manipulation of knives, measuring cups / spoons and electrical equipment, the importance of accurately reading the recipe and the measuring of ingredients, understanding how to read the numbers on a jug when measuring liquids and reading scales as we measure dry ingredients, are all ‘lessons’ in measurement and this is even before we fully understand the meaning of a recipe.  Another tick for Maths and English experiences within the curriculum.

So far on our cooking journey we have covered areas of Science, English, Maths and fine motor skills through cooking and our learning journey continues…..

Have you ever experienced the fun of decorating simple biscuits, decorating a pizza, presenting a range of salad items on a platter or presenting a colourful array of fruit – here we discover our artistic flair, new taste sensations and have further opportunities to explore nutrition – (Creative Arts/PDHPE)

Cooking activities also give us the opportunity to understand how our bodies use the fuel we place in them, the part nutrition plays in a healthy lifestyle and the foods needed to sustain the busy lives we lead.(PDHPE)

Finally, in our ‘cooking journey’ we have the opportunity to build an appreciation and understanding of how different cultures prepare and eat foods, how different diets are adapted for cultural and physical needs and how food is part of the celebration of life. (ESL curriculum.)

During Cooking Club we have explored the fun of cooking together, experienced new taste sensations and shared our food experiences with family and friends. I hope the boys who have shared their time in Cooking Club take with them some memorable experiences, a love of creating new food sensations and the interest to keep on cooking….experimenting with food combinations and ‘learning’.

Learning through practical application – with the benefit of eating and enjoying the results of your learning!! What a great combination – a truly ‘hands on’ unique learning experience…

Thank you to all the boys who have participated in Cooking Club for their enthusiasm and commitment.

A special ‘Thank you’ to Ted, Charles and Callan – three members of our Cooking Club who have shared their thoughts on their cooking journeys.

Cooking Club has been one of my favourite clubs. I like it because we make a wide variety of savoury and sweet dishes. My favourite one so far has been the raspberry jam and coconut slice. Sometimes we make two dishes per week but usually only one. Some of the other dishes we’ve made are: cheese soufflé, stuffed potatoes, cinnamon scrolls, apple pie with lattice top, spaghetti loaf and Dad’s all time favourite… Pizza!! Dad, Mum and my brother all adored the things I’ve made and now I enjoy helping Mum in the kitchen.  Charlie Cooper

Cooking club is great fun. Each week is a new recipe and every boy gets to prepare and cook their own food. I liked learning alternatives for ingredients such as self raising flour. The chocolate brownie was my favourite and I would like to make them again with my family.  Callan Glover

In Term 1, 2018 I had the opportunity to participate in Cooking Club again.  During the term every Wednesday afternoon we would work together to make savoury and sweet dishes. We were able to learn skills like grating, chopping, stirring, and many more. We learnt measuring systems using formal measures like grams, liters and cups. In Cooking Club we learn the skills that we will benefit from in the future.  I have shared some of my home cooking with Mrs James and my family. Mrs James thought her favourite was the lemon tarts and my family loved the apple pies I made.  Lastly but definitely not least, we made dishes like chocolate brownies, cinnamon scrolls, cakes, muffins, rissoles and many other tasty dishes.  Ted Walker

Mrs Gough and I have great fun collaborating and sharing the Cooking Club Learning Journey.

Happy Cooking….

Katrina James – LE team member