Cooking is a source of joy for many adults and children alike. For middle schoolers, cooking can not only provide a way to learn valuable life skills, but also to support and further their academic learning. This is why Montessori middle schools always place an emphasis on kitchen activities.
While children learning how to prepare food for themselves is an important skill all on its own, the applications of that learning extend well beyond the kitchen. Take a look at why these activities are so important for Montessori middle school students and what activities you can try with your child at home.
Why Kitchen Activities?
Montessori schools incorporate kitchen activities into the education of all students. This is because these activities offer learning opportunities that cover all of the basic tenets of the Montessori philosophy.
For the youngest students, kitchen activities provide sensory and motor skill development. As students get older, time in the kitchen allows them to develop a sense of creativity, self-esteem, and independence. And for every stage of development, kitchen activities provide practical skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
Great Kitchen Activities for Middle School Students
Kitchen activities can help enrich your Montessori middle school student’s mind and provide them with opportunities to grow both in the classroom and in their everyday lives. Here are some fun activities you can try with your middle schooler at home.
Prepping Food for Cooking
It’s always wise to start small when tackling something as big as cooking or baking. Learning how to properly cut, peel, slice, and chop ingredients is the first step toward creating a dish, and they can be deceptively nuanced activities.
Helping a student get off on the right foot with their cooking pursuits can instill a sense of confidence in them that they will enjoy outside of the kitchen as well.
Mixing a Fruit Salad
Before they get to the oven, students can apply their newfound prepping skills to make a fruit salad of their own. It’s a simple activity that allows for plenty of creativity.
Making a Grilled Cheese
The grilled cheese is a favorite that covers many of the basics of cooking. While it can be easy to make one, it can be tricky to perfect one, which makes learning how to make a grilled cheese a great place to start a cooking journey.
Students can get an idea of how to balance the minimal ingredients involved, and they can also learn just how delicate the art of grilling something can be.
Cooking an Omelet
Another classic food that’s fairly simple to create but requires practice to perfect is the omelet. Unlike grilled cheese, however, this meal takes more preparation.
Learning to break and whisk eggs, chop ingredients, and strike the right balance of temperature and time on the stove is something that can provide your child with a variety of skills that can serve as the foundation for more complex kitchen pursuits.
Baking Cookies
While cooking lends itself to improvisation, the art of baking is often more precise. Striking the balance of ingredients in a cookie recipe is something that requires students to pay close attention and even do a little math while they create their delicious treats.
Kitchen Fun at Montessori School of Flagstaff
The kitchen is its own kind of classroom and a key part of Montessori education. If you’d like to learn more about Montessori middle school education, contact Montessori School of Flagstaff with any questions you may have or schedule a tour today.