INCLUDING KIDS IN THE KITCHENCarlos Sierra, Political Consultant & Dad

BAKING WITH CHILDRENWhile including your kids in the kitchen doesn’t always turn out

to be what commercials make it—a joyful, carefree experience filled

with fun flour fights and an optimal end result—it does

guarantee one thing: memories.

Even when the salt is mistaken for sugar, the cookies burn, and the cupcakes are pure batter on

the inside, fun was had and you and your children made

something together.

THERE ARE MORE BENEFITS TO

BAKING WITH YOUR CHILDREN

THAN YOU MIGHT REALIZE

And I’m not just talking about turning them into the next Master Chef Junior.

FROM TODDLERS TO TEENS, COOKING AND BAKING HONES

MANY SKILLS THAT ARE APPLICABLE OUTSIDE THE KITCHEN

American’s rely far too heavily on take-out meals and smartphone apps that allow us to get dinner delivered to

our door without uttering a word or getting off our couches—they don’t have the ability to teach our children the art, science, and math that goes into everyday cooking

and baking.

“Baking makes me focus. On weighing the sugar. On sieving the flour. I find it calming and rewarding because, in fairness, it is sort of magic - you start off with all this disparate stuff, such as butter and eggs, and what you end up with is totally different. And also delicious.

-Marian Keyes

CALLING ALL PARENTSI challenge you to get involved with your children in the kitchen! We all eat, so why not make our meals

and desserts together? From funfetti cupcakes to classic Sunday breakfasts, here are just a few of the

benefits of including the little ones in the kitchen

SCIENCE

There is a shortage of skilled STEM professionals, despite it

being an extremely lucrative field.

So why not get children interested in science at a young

age?

Baking is a hands-on science experiment occurring in the

comfort of your own home. The wrong mixture of ingredients, too

much baking soda, and not enough time in the oven can result in an inedible creation you won’t

be quick to post on Instagram.

MATHLike science, if math isn’t used

while baking, you can pretty much say goodbye to a flavorful outcome.

Doubling a recipe would call for addition and multiplication, while reducing it would require division

and subtraction. Even better! Most kids don’t

realize that they’re doing math because fractions come in the form of measuring cups and teaspoons, not boring equations on a sheet of

paper.

READING COMPREHENSION

Baking is a delicate art. It requires a specific order of steps to be

executed in an exact way. Recipes call for bakers to follow a sequence

of directions that would be impossible to follow without optimal comprehension skills.

By including your kids in the kitchen and allowing them to take charge of leading the recipe, you

turn reading comprehension into a fun, hands-on activity.

To learn more about the benefits of baking, as well as my other interests and hobbies, visit…

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