Comments on Hobo Mama: Bring cooking down to your child's level

Oh yeah, meant to also mention: A friend of mine c...

2010-07-18T19:38:59.298-07:00

Oh yeah, meant to also mention: A friend of mine calls this recipe Puppy Chow. She was the unit leader for our Preschool / Daisy unit at Day Camp this summer and had the little ones make this, outside. She even set the stuff out in the sun to melt. It worked great and the kids had so much fun! The woman is amazing with so many children under foot!

When I was homeschooling Tyler, we found a lot of ...

2010-07-18T19:37:32.873-07:00

When I was homeschooling Tyler, we found a lot of Social Studies related books about children from all over the world - they inevitably had recipes for some new dish! It was a great way to learn together.

You can also find children's recipe books. My daughter found some recipes online a few years ago and planned an entire meal for our family including english muffin pizzas, punch, and brownies.

I am a bit OCD, so I usually have a hard time letting go of cleaning or cooking to let a child help. I do, however, see the importance so I try.

I really wish there could be a counter in our kitc...

2010-07-18T14:26:32.321-07:00

I really wish there could be a counter in our kitchen that was short enough for Michael. Sometimes I bring it down to the floor, and sometimes he stands on a chair, which really isn't high enough. I have been trying to teach him to use a knife, but I really think the counter is too high for him to use proper technique.

Very cool! Getting kids involved in the kitchen is...

2010-07-18T14:03:19.525-07:00

Very cool! Getting kids involved in the kitchen is an excellent way to develop an interest in food.

Ever since we got a Toddler Cookbook from our local library, our twins love it when I read them a few recipes at bed time. My daughter has memorized a few of them already! I guess we need to do another kitchen project soon.

Sometimes back, we had them help us make chicken quesadillas. They had a great time.

Thanks for the article!

You have a such a great collection fo photos of Mi...

2010-07-17T23:43:21.118-07:00

You have a such a great collection fo photos of Mikko. I wish I kept my camera more handy! I get down on the floor too, or at least move things to the kitchen table so they can kneel on their chairs. Works much better.

Well, I have thought of a lot of ways to help my k...

2010-07-17T23:07:42.700-07:00

Well, I have thought of a lot of ways to help my kiddo with cooking, but never thought of the floor. We do, fortunately, have a big enough stool for him to help so I never had to think beyond that. Great idea, keep it up.

Well, I have thought of a lot of ways to help my k...

2010-07-17T05:07:56.752-07:00

Well, I have thought of a lot of ways to help my kiddo with cooking, but never thought of the floor.

If I'm going to cook with the kids we do it on...

2010-07-17T00:01:04.594-07:00

If I'm going to cook with the kids we do it on the floor too. My issue is that with two kids they both want to do everything and it makes a much bigger mess as they fight over the bowls, or spoons or whatever. I try to split it up but the fact is, cooking with kids is messy. I just accept it.

Hi Lauren! Just wanted to let you know I linked t...

2010-07-16T18:07:39.470-07:00

Hi Lauren! Just wanted to let you know I linked to your post over on my blog. My experience with this today didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to... :o)

My blog is: laura.nettlesfamily.net

Oh I had forgotten about the magical goodness of M...

2010-07-16T17:58:26.768-07:00

Oh I had forgotten about the magical goodness of Muddy Buddies. Arora and I love cooking together. The only trouble is she always wants to taste the batter before it is cooked. Most of the time I don't mind (cookies cake etc) the issue comes up when it is pancakes or some other not good tasting batter. I also try to include getting the ingredient out of the pantry and having her help put them away.

I loved this post! I love being in the kitchen, a...

2010-07-16T13:57:55.902-07:00

I loved this post! I love being in the kitchen, and I try make time to include my almost-three-year old son as much as food prep, cooking and baking as I can. But the mess (and the patience needed to have a grabby little helper) are definitely factors some days. I haven't made Muddy Buddies with my little guy (for the nutritional massacre reasons you mentioned), but that sure does bring back childhood memories. And look at how much fun your guy had!

One word to describe why this will not work for me...

2010-07-16T12:24:36.645-07:00

One word to describe why this will not work for me: DOGS. :-)

Thank you for the lovely ideas! I'm extremely ...

2010-07-16T10:15:55.200-07:00

Thank you for the lovely ideas! I'm extremely kitchen-challenged, myself, and currently overwhelmed with regularly teaching myself to cook new-to-me veggies, due to our CSA membership. But prepping a treat on the floor with my Critter sounds like something to try on a rainy afternoon. That is, should we ever have another rainy afternoon again here in Brooklyn.

My kiddo also likes to 'help' with food pr...

2010-07-16T09:20:17.410-07:00

My kiddo also likes to 'help' with food preparation, especially when it involves scooping spices with measuring spoons. I would not have thought to bring everything onto the floor (my housekeeping leaves quite a bit to be desired, so I've got a bit of oogy-factor on that) but certainly a good idea that I might consider after a not-frequent-enough mopping.

Great post! I love all the photos, and I'm def...

2010-07-16T09:16:43.558-07:00

Great post! I love all the photos, and I'm definitely going to keep these ideas in mind as my kiddo gets older.

Fantastic post, Lauren. I have always loved cookin...

2010-07-16T07:03:40.675-07:00

Fantastic post, Lauren. I have always loved cooking with Everett and feel like it is a big part of why he is into so many different foods. I have thought of a lot of ways to help my kiddo with cooking, but never thought of the floor. We do, fortunately, have a big enough stool for him to help so I never had to think beyond that. Great idea, though!

Great ideas! I often have Bug sitting up on the co...

2010-07-16T06:43:12.682-07:00

Great ideas! I often have Bug sitting up on the counter, helping me cook. But, he likes to turn on the toaster oven...and he's recently learned how to plug it in, too. Guess we'll be moving to the floor for cooking experiences now!