Kids Learn About Nutrition, Develop Kitchen Skills
By Dave Woods • Official Kids Mag
We weren’t sure what we would find when we visited the Bayyari Elementary School Garden Club in Springdale. We knew there
would be a lesson on nutrition. We knew there was going to be a room full of fifth graders, and we knew there would be deviled eggs.
It was the fifth of six after school nutrition classes taught by Kim Krummel and Cathy Love of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Program (ENFEP). The program encourages young people to eat healthier meals and snacks. It also offers hands-on cooking experiences. Coincidentally, their program is called Kids in the Kitchen.
“Today’s lesson is on protein,” Kim explained. “We talked about different kinds of protein and why it’s healthy for our bodies.”
That’s where the deviled eggs come into play.
“They learned how to read a recipe, they watched me demonstrate how to make deviled eggs and then they got to do it for themselves. It is fun.”
Kim ran the kids through a quick lesson on the different kinds of proteins and their importance in a good diet. I’m not a deviled egg fan. I wasn’t alone. Some of the kids looked a little skeptical themselves.
“I love it when kids try something new” Kim said. “I always say ‘Don’t yuck my yum!’ and they will try it and give it a shot. They find out they like peanut butter and cheese together, or green peppers and tomatoes. They are growing and need healthy food right now to become healthy adults.”
Cathy Love, the EFNEP supervisor for Benton, Washington and Sebastian Counties, chimed in.
“A lot of those kids have never had the opportunity to learn good nutrition and even basic cooking skills,” she said. “We show them how to stretch their food dollars. We teach them how to lead healthy lifestyles within their budget. We have an adult program and they have fun, too. The program is interactive and they get to make things and play games. It’s not sitting down and listening to a teacher.”
- Classes are made available through the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and managed by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The classes are taught at eligible schools and in after-school programs, Boys and Girls Clubs, summer camps, community and activity centers, youth organizations, churches, and any other places where groups of children gather.
Follow this link for more tasty recipes from kids in the kitchen!