Knife skills for kids: Cooking with Amelia
Now, don't go thinking I do all these wonderful cooking projects with my kids all the time. I'm busy like anyone else and get lazy about involving my children in this type of thing. But I don't think that matters. It just matters that I do it sometimes... and I do it one child at a time to make it a little special sometimes. They can work together to peel eggs or snap beans, but when someone has a knife in their hand... I don't want siblings in the room. You know what I'm talking about. Today, I had some extra time and wanted to have some fun, creative time with Amelia while her brother was in school.
Amelia is 4. She was an annoyingly picky eater as a younger child. Now that I know her better, I see that much of it was a power play against her obviously nutrition-obsessed mother who was otherwise occupied with her attention-hog of a big brother. This post isn't going to be about dealing with picky eaters, but I'll say... this has been a success story in favor of compromise, patience and persistence. (You can read all about it to give you hope for your Picky Eater.) Both of my kids are now pretty good eaters... for kids. However, neither of my kids seem to eat that yummy, yellow crooked neck squash or parsley (too green). This time of year, I LOVE to make omlettes w/ crooked neck squash and feel that parsley (or some fresh herb) should be in everything. I am missing out because I have nobody to share it with me (and I like to share food). So today I thought I share a little of my love of the summer squash omelette with Amelia, and see where that gets us.
Off to the garden for a little parsley. Snip snip with the little scizzers.
And a little crooked neck squash.
So you see, we went out and picked our ingredients. Eggs were collected last night, but eggs have never been an issue in our home (thank goodness). I know some of you might be thinking, 'Oh sure, she has a nice big garden. We can't do that!' Well, no... maybe not. But with Amelia, picking is not nearly as exciting as the kitchen work. So read on.
Children with Knives
I have been known to give a real paring knife to a 2 year old to cut up bananas, mushrooms or chard. Not all 2 year olds can be trusted with one... only the cautious ones. Rowan, yes. Amelia... no. Danger girl (the apple does not fall far with this one). But she is four now, and is much more focused and aware of safety issues. When I teach knife skills to anyone, especially kids, these are my guidelines:
1. Pay attention (every time I've sliced off part of my thumb, I was doing something else like screaming at my kids while chopping an onion or pumpkin with a very sharp knife). My children have been present in urgent care when a doctor was sewing the skin back on my thumb, so this is a real and present danger to them.
2. Use the CLAW! See the hand Amelia is using to hold the squash in the picture below? She's curling her fingertips in so the knife rubs the back of her knuckles. ESPECIALLY her thumb. Very effective in preventing trips to the urgent care.
3. Use a sawing action. Don't do the chop-chop action... only works with a REALLY sharp knife and it's easy to slide off and cut yourself. Keep the tip of the knife on the cutting board and with medium downward pressure, saw back and forth. Even non-serrated knives work best this way... especially in the hands of little ones.
So I let her chop and put her pieces in the bowl. I like to demonstrate precisely what I want done, talking through the process, then leave her alone without nitpicking. You see, childrens' bodies are hard-wired to copy everything they see you doing, so without even thinking, her hand will strive to do just what mine did. Only interrupt for major safety issues.
We added the egg mixture, and finally the parsley.
Here is the final product...
And she tries it...
The verdict...
Yeah! Now, even this didn't have a Hollywood ending. She tried it all, but left most of it to polish off her bread and tomatoes. I think she was tired from all the work and needed a nap.
But these things make a big difference and I could just see her glow from all of my attention and getting to cook with me. Cooking is so magical, I feel. I remember as a child wondering how you could cook onions and make them caramelize so they were sweet instead of pungent, and I remember trying to do that and failing until I finally asked my mom to show me. Learning to cook, transform food, build flavor and texture is a never-ending learning process that is so satisfying. Every kid is different. Some, you just need to get some of this in there so they can feed themselves by the time they leave home. Some really go for it. But it's cooking. This isn't an optional activity. You need food, so you have to cook.
Could you do this with your kids? Oh yeah. If you're a pro, teach what you know and love. If you're no-good at cooking, find a recipe you want to try and learn it together. What are some of your kids' favorite things to make? How did they learn it?
Amelia is 4. She was an annoyingly picky eater as a younger child. Now that I know her better, I see that much of it was a power play against her obviously nutrition-obsessed mother who was otherwise occupied with her attention-hog of a big brother. This post isn't going to be about dealing with picky eaters, but I'll say... this has been a success story in favor of compromise, patience and persistence. (You can read all about it to give you hope for your Picky Eater.) Both of my kids are now pretty good eaters... for kids. However, neither of my kids seem to eat that yummy, yellow crooked neck squash or parsley (too green). This time of year, I LOVE to make omlettes w/ crooked neck squash and feel that parsley (or some fresh herb) should be in everything. I am missing out because I have nobody to share it with me (and I like to share food). So today I thought I share a little of my love of the summer squash omelette with Amelia, and see where that gets us.
Off to the garden for a little parsley. Snip snip with the little scizzers.
And a little crooked neck squash.
So you see, we went out and picked our ingredients. Eggs were collected last night, but eggs have never been an issue in our home (thank goodness). I know some of you might be thinking, 'Oh sure, she has a nice big garden. We can't do that!' Well, no... maybe not. But with Amelia, picking is not nearly as exciting as the kitchen work. So read on.
Children with Knives
I have been known to give a real paring knife to a 2 year old to cut up bananas, mushrooms or chard. Not all 2 year olds can be trusted with one... only the cautious ones. Rowan, yes. Amelia... no. Danger girl (the apple does not fall far with this one). But she is four now, and is much more focused and aware of safety issues. When I teach knife skills to anyone, especially kids, these are my guidelines:
2. Use the CLAW! See the hand Amelia is using to hold the squash in the picture below? She's curling her fingertips in so the knife rubs the back of her knuckles. ESPECIALLY her thumb. Very effective in preventing trips to the urgent care.
3. Use a sawing action. Don't do the chop-chop action... only works with a REALLY sharp knife and it's easy to slide off and cut yourself. Keep the tip of the knife on the cutting board and with medium downward pressure, saw back and forth. Even non-serrated knives work best this way... especially in the hands of little ones.
 |
| The 'Claw' |
So I let her chop and put her pieces in the bowl. I like to demonstrate precisely what I want done, talking through the process, then leave her alone without nitpicking. You see, childrens' bodies are hard-wired to copy everything they see you doing, so without even thinking, her hand will strive to do just what mine did. Only interrupt for major safety issues.
I showed her the pan and heated it, added butter. She added the squash to the pan, and even got a little burn. I still think a few little burns while working together are alright. Nothing teaches a child safety around the stove like a little burn now and then.
We added the egg mixture, and finally the parsley.
Here is the final product...
And she tries it...
The verdict...
Yeah! Now, even this didn't have a Hollywood ending. She tried it all, but left most of it to polish off her bread and tomatoes. I think she was tired from all the work and needed a nap.
But these things make a big difference and I could just see her glow from all of my attention and getting to cook with me. Cooking is so magical, I feel. I remember as a child wondering how you could cook onions and make them caramelize so they were sweet instead of pungent, and I remember trying to do that and failing until I finally asked my mom to show me. Learning to cook, transform food, build flavor and texture is a never-ending learning process that is so satisfying. Every kid is different. Some, you just need to get some of this in there so they can feed themselves by the time they leave home. Some really go for it. But it's cooking. This isn't an optional activity. You need food, so you have to cook.
Could you do this with your kids? Oh yeah. If you're a pro, teach what you know and love. If you're no-good at cooking, find a recipe you want to try and learn it together. What are some of your kids' favorite things to make? How did they learn it?