Cooking and Children

PreS—Nica Halula delivers just the right amount of silliness and enthusiasm to entertain and excite preschoolers about cooking. She guides her daughter and two other preschoolers through four recipes, while instructing adult viewers on the benefits of cooking with children, such as offering a sense of accomplishment, developing fine motor skills, and providing practice in measuring and counting. Children use plastic knives for cutting soft food and the host recommends doing prep work ahead of time without children if sharp knives are needed. She also suggests that children be given an alternate activity like making place mats while adults use the stove or oven, although for the most part, the featured recipes don't require cooking. Halula gives tips on minimizing mess and what kids can do to help clean up. The focus is on creating healthy snacks which include sweet potato dip, strawberry surprise muffins, toast shapes with toppings, and rainbow fruit salad. Preschoolers will enjoy watching the children master activities associated with cooking, and adult viewers will get some yummy recipes and advice. Having the basic ingredients required on hand will allow children and adults to easily share these activities. Following the cooking segments, another mom and a preschooler arrive for a visit and join the Halulas in acting out fingerplays in Spanish and English.—Constance Dickerson, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library, OH