Little budding chefs

the Pre-school curriculum nowadays even features cooking sessions which can be beneficial to children
theSun, Tues 21 Oct 2008

DURING my time, I went to kindergarten to play, sing, listen to stories, and learn the alphabet and numbers. There was no Montessori stuff, field trips, or science experiments. Now, my daughter is being taught all these and more.

Pre-schools these days have become more holistic in their teaching approach and some even include cooking as part of their curriculum.

It got me thinking as to what benefits can be derived from this activity.

When children participate in food preparation, they start appreciating a wider variety of food and become less picky eaters. They tend to want to eat what they have made themselves.

You can also teach them about the various food groups and their health benefits.

Cooking helps children become more creative as it allows them to make decisions, to experiment with various ingredients to create new tastes and to decorate their dishes.

It teaches them patience as they go through the preparation process and wait for the food to get cooked or the cake to rise.

The various methods involved in cooking such as heating, boiling, freezing and beating can be used to teach science.

Watching water boil and produce steam, or how flour changes from solid to liquid when mixed with milk or water, for example, helps them experience and learn about changes in the state of matter.

Cooking lets children exercise their reading, counting and measuring abilities, and develop their fine motor skills by using tools such as scoops, shredders, grinders and cookie cutters.

Allowing them to handle a knife also helps build their confidence. You must, of course, provide them with a butter knife and supervise their activities in the kitchen at all times.

A butter knife goes a long way in letting them cut food like boiled eggs, cheese, soft fruit like bananas or melons, dough and bread.

Children will be more self-confident and have better self-esteem when they know that they are able to do things on their own.

Cooking teaches about sex roles and other cultures too.

While children have observed that cooking is commonly done by females such as their mother or grandmother, they should be made aware that it is not gender-biased. Boys can be interested and encouraged to cook too.

Cooking traditional food and recipes from another culture or country lets children learn about the different cultures around us.

Watching cooking shows, especially those by male chefs, or food and travel programmes on television, exposes them further to these aspects.

Cooking is a great way to distract children from watching too much television or playing computer games. It is one activity where you can discuss about health and safety, including hygiene, use of kitchen tools, electrical appliances and fire safety and prevention with them.

And don’t forget, it is also one way you can spend quality time and have fun with your children.

Dealing with death

theSun, Tues 7 Oct 2008

PARENTS will have to face the tricky job of dealing with the inevitable topic of death with their children at one point or another in their lives.

Children’s perception of death varies according to their age, personality and past experiences. Younger ones in preschool may think death is not permanent or could be reversed, like in the tale of Snow White or Sleeping Beauty.

According to experts, at this age, they take words literally so it is best not to explain death by using words like "sleeping", "resting", or "taking a trip".

Tell them briefly and simply that the person’s body is not working any more; that he can no longer eat, sleep, breathe, or grow.

When they question, give them simple and honest answers, and share the spiritual beliefs you have about death. By allowing them to talk about it, you can find out their worries and fears, and if what they already know is right.

This will help you give them the correct information to help them understand. An open and comfortable atmosphere is important for the child to feel assured, comforted and secure.

A publication titled Talking to Children about Death by experts from North Dakota State University says that "periodic conversations about death are important since understanding death is a gradual process. Children will take in the information as they are ready and increase their understanding as they develop".

When a family member, relative or friend dies, you will be faced with the dilemma of whether to take your young child to the funeral or not.

I, for one, would worry about how she would feel when she sees the body in the casket, and that I may not be able to answer her questions patiently during the funeral proceedings. And what if, though innocently, she makes embarrassing or inappropriate remarks?

We need to prepare ourselves and our children if we plan to take them to a funeral. Give them a heads-up of what to expect. Explain what happens at a funeral, and that there will be many people there, some of whom could be sad or crying.

This could help alleviate their fears or sudden outbursts due to insecurity or shock from the new experience and being in an unfamiliar place.

Young as they are, children can sense the tension or grief adults feel. If the deceased is someone they are close to, they would feel the loss as deeply as adults do. They, however, express it differently, through play, art or play-acting.

KidsHealth, a website that provides doctor-approved health information about children, says it is all right to let our child witness our own grief, pain, and tears about a death.

Allowing your child to see your pain shows that crying is a natural reaction to emotional pain and loss. And it can make children more comfortable sharing their feelings.

You could also ask someone to supervise your child if you feel that your own grief might prevent you from helping her at this difficult time.

Choose someone you both like and trust who won’t mind leaving the funeral if your child wants to go.

But it’s also important to convey that no matter how sad you may be feeling, you’ll still be able to care for your family and make your child feel safe.