A fun afternoon!

Friday afternoon and we had dreadful weather throughout the entire country – so it was a bit of a squeeze battling the traffic, getting home from school and being online by 4pm!  Anyway, despite that, lots of kids joined in and there were some extremely grateful parents who got dinner cooked!! Claire shared two recipes – Creamy Fish Pie or Cottage Pie and the kids ripped into it! We showed YOuTubes, had live chats and the kids posted progress photos as they cooked… it was great!

We also asked a lot of questions and found:

1.Kids STRONGLY AGREE  that a cooking session like this helps them learn about food and cooking

2. Kids STRONGLY AGREE or AGREE  that they like this sort of session and seeing what other kids are doing

3. MOST kids are DEFINITELY keen to have a regular weekly cooking session like this. And the two preferred days are Friday and Sunday.

WOW – that sort of feedback gives us something to think about when we do our  planning – will keep you posted with what I come up with!!!

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MISSED THE SESSION ON FRIDAY 17TH  

Go HERE and see what they got up to! 

We are so excited that Claire is hosting our 4th program and this time, due to the generosity of our sponsors, we can offer it FREE to every kid – as long as they have internet coverage!

This is what you need to know!

It’s free

There are no fees to participate. There are great prizes for the kids and parents go in the draw to win a fabulous BOSCH dishwasher.

It’s online

This program is UNIQUE and available ANYWHERE there is Internet coverage. This means parents have no travelling, no pick ups or drop offs – kids learn to cook in their own home, using their food, cooking their dinner. Location is no barrier to participation.

Kids love it

The program is hosted by teen Claire Gourley. She has the ability to motivate and inspire kids to share her food discovery journey. Feedback from kids on the previous three online programs is extremely positive.

Uses technology wisely

Kids love participating in live-chats, uploading images, watching You Tubes and making Internet cooking buddies. We ensure it is in a safe environment and we veto any comments before they are posted. Activities are designed to keep data use to a minimum.

Program is flexible – kids from a huge age range (5 – 16) join in.

We have mums, dads, caregivers and grandparents all having fun with their kids.  We also have a lot of kids who are over 14 who join in by themselves interacting with Claire, and others who get a friend over to cook and do the challenges together. During the program families and friends from up and down the country sit down to an It’s My Turn To Cook Tonight dinner!

It’s more than just cooking

We slip in all sorts of other foodie things – like making good food choices, reading labels, kitchen safety, budgeting, nutrition tips, food jokes plus they gain confidence both in the kitchen and on the computer. We send them to do challenges – like over-the-top table settings and random acts of food kindness – all fun activities designed to give kids practical food skills as well as a deeper understanding of food.

Kids who are food savvy have a huge advantage

Research shows kids who have practical food skills are far more likely to make better food choices. Kiwi kids need to be encouraged and supported to make good food choices.

Timing

Runs April 22-24 (also 15-17 July & 1-3 October)

Theme

Each program has a different theme – the April theme is quick food.

Find out more

www.itsmyturntocooktonight.com

Yesterdays holiday program is a great way to leave 2012… it epitomizes my goal of happy kids cooking! As 2012 draws to a close  it’s a time to reflect where we got to…

It has been a year of holiday programs, lots of happy kids cooking and getting food savvy… Claire and I feel like we have just begun to scratch the surface as there is just so many  kids who want to learn so they can fully equip themselves… These are exciting times as we further develop our eBooks, streamline our holiday programs…

I look forward to helping you get your kids more food savvy in 2013! Best wishes for a lovely family time over the holidays. You can still download the free resources of yesterdays programs by clicking on the book or going here.

Glenda Gourley
PS… This little video is a snapshot of our holiday program…   it was so cool to see the children so happily involved!

Claire and I have been working away on our FREE eBook for the School Holiday Program – and we are pleased to report we are nearly finished! ( with only 2 weeks to go to the program that is a good thing!!)

We’ve included some really easy and quick kids recipes  with lots of photos and links to Claires You Tubes.  These recipes will keep the kids going all summer – lots of barbecue ideas – from Motorway Meatballs, Homemade Healthy Hashbrowns, some great salads and of course soem Christmas treats…

It is written in Claires succinct light-hearted slightly irreverent  style which we know kids love!

By the way Claire’s other award winning hard copy book Who’s Cooking Tonight? makes an excellent Christmas present – and you can get a copy in the shop on this site – have a quick look at this video to see why Claire thinks your kids need it – it is quite funny! ( I think if she was filming it this summer she would add in ” I’m a university student so please buy it so I can pay my fees”!!!)

1. Do your kids really know what a good food choice is?

2. Do your kids really know how to cook some meals?

3. Do your kids to know enough about food to take good care of themselves?

4. Are you confident that your kids are making good food choices most of the time?

5. Have you got the time and/or energy to get your kids food savvy?

If you answered NO to any of those questions we can help these school holidays… The It’s My Turn To Cook Tonight Bosch School Holiday Program, supported by 5+ A Day, inspires kids to be food savvy – to cook some meals, create a special occasion, make a food movie, do some random acts of kindness, learn about food choices, kitchen safety, read labels & much much more.

Give your kids an advantage and skills for life – let us help you get them food savvy Oct 2 – 4 online and live. $25 for 3 days fun, action and competitions (price per family) www.foodsavvykids.com

Are we creating a new generation of kids who think cooking is stressful, complicated, requires flash equipment, fancy ingredients, a huge amount of skill and lots of time??

If you read Claire’s latest newsletter  Kids just wanna have fun you will see she finds it entertaining but gets turned off by high pressure, high stress cooking. Whilst not having done any formal research, I suggest this is a typical response from many kids.

In the UK they call it ‘food porn’ – Brits love to watch it, but few take action. Undoubtedly all these food programs bring a heightened awareness of food – and that is a good thing – but the subliminal messages to kids is ‘cooking is scary’. We need a reassuring approach for 99% of kids who don’t aspire to be chefs but need encouraged to whip up a meal.

How can we help your teen?
Claire’s teen-to-teen newsletter and her blog builds trust with teens to inspire and engage. We are not just about recipes and cooking.  We offer the whole package – an ordinary teen role model (not a chef) to inspire, encourage and kids to take responsibility for what they eat.  Who’s Cooking Tonight? is a key resource.

How can we help you?
Check out the work we did with groups of teens to discover what parents could do to make kids want to cook. It’s advice you can’t afford to ignore.

I wrote this post as a participant in the Eat, Play, Love blog carnival hosted by Meals Matter and Dairy Council of California to share ideas on positive and fun ways to teach children healthy eating habits. A list of other registered dietitians and moms who are participating in the carnival will be listed at the bottom of this post or can be found on Meals Matter.

As more and more research backs up  that children who can cook are more likely to make better food choices, the case for teaching  your child to cook  gets even more relevant.

As parents, we intuitively want to do the best for our kids  - and often we start off with great gusto only to run out of steam if what we are doing isn’t getting great results. I ran a couple of focus groups with teens to find out the sort of things we could do to  make them want want to cook. What we found out was seriously enlightening, somewhat amusing and really helpful!

We discovered eight key points… (I still struggle to keep a straight face when I recall how deadly serious they were!?!) These points could verge on being precocious – but it certainly helps us as parents if we know what they are thinking!

In their words, this is what parents should do…

1. Let me choose what I cook – “Simple – if I don’t like it, I’m not going to want to cook it”.

2. Get me a recipe that works – “If I go to the effort of cooking I want it to work… I don’t want have to have to keep running to you to ask what to do next”.

3. Have all the ingredients - “Don’t expect me to be able to substitute ingredients when I am just starting off on this cooking lark!”

4. Stay out of the kitchen – “Don’t be a helicopter hovering around. Give me some space to work things out – but stick around the house in case I need to ask”.

5. Resist ‘you should have’ comments’ – “If I want to know I’ll ask”.

6. Be impressed – “If you expect me to do this again you need to be impressed , so you might have to ‘fake it ‘til I make it’. And don’t go telling all your friends if I burn something or do something stupid”.

7. Don’t nag – “If I take a bit longer than you do or I don’t clean up exactly like you do, cut me some slack – I have just cooked you a meal!”

8. Cut me a deal! – “If you expect me to buy into this ‘cook a meal once a week idea’ there has to be something in it for me .  This ‘skills for a lifetime’ doesn’t really flick my switch – but money for the movies or that new dress does. You are probably going to buy me new shoes at some stage anyway, you may as well make me think I have earned them.”

I am totally convinced of the benefits of kids being able to cook.Your child doesn’t need to be a budding chef,  even a repertoire of half a dozen meals sets them well ahead of many kids.

Being able to cook will help  to set your child up to take responsibility for what they eat. The fantastic bonus is that  every time they cook,  you can get a night off cooking and  they get skills to last a lifetime  - a win:win for everyone!!

Don't stop here! Join the carnival and read other Eat, Play, Love blogs from dietitians and moms offering the best advice on raising healthy eaters. And if you don't get enough today, for more positive, realistic and actionable advice from registered dietitian moms, register for the free, live webinar Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters on Wednesday, May 18.

The Best-Kept Secret for Raising Healthy Eaters, Maryann Jacobsen, MS, RD
Feeding is Love, Jill Castle, MS, RD, LDN
5 Quick Ways to Prepare Veggies with Maximum Flavor, Dayle Hayes, MS, RD
The Art of Dinnertime, Elana Natker, MS, RD
Children Don’t Need a Short Order Cook, Christy Slaughter
Cut to the Point – My Foodie Rules, Glenda Gourley
Eat, Play, Love – A Challenge for Families, Alysa Bajenaru, RD
Eat, Play, Love ~ Raising Healthy Eaters, Kia Robertson
Get Kids Cooking, Jessica Fishman Levinson, MS, RD, CDN
Kid-Friendly Kitchen Gear Gets Them Cooking, Katie Sullivan Morford, MS, RD
Kids that Can Cook Make Better Food Choices, Glenda Gourley
Making Mealtime Fun, Nicole Guierin, RD
My No Junk Food Journey – Want to Come Along? , Kristine Lockwood
My Recipe for Raising Healthy Eaters: Eat Like the French, Bridget Swinney MS, RD, LD
Playing with Dough and the Edible Gift of Thyme, Robin Plotkin, RD, LD
Picky Eaters  Will Eat Vegetables, Theresa Grisanti, MA
Raising a Healthy Eater, Danielle Omar, MS, RD
Putting the Ease in Healthy Family Eating, Connie Evers, MS, RD, LD
Raising Healthy Eaters Blog Carnival & Chat Roundup, Ann Dunaway Teh, MS, RD, LD
Soccer Mom Soapbox, Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD
Teenagers Can Be Trying But Don’t Give UpDiane Welland MS, RD
What My Kids Taught Me About Eating Mindfully, Michelle May, MD

When it comes to cooking and passing on food skills – what sorts of things do you want for your child??

I have long pondered the differing motivations to learn to cook – but when it all boils down to it – does it matter if the outcomes are the same??? Have a look at these little clips to compare why I think its a good idea for kids to cook and then compare it with what Claire thinks… differing trigger points… the same outcome!

Claire’s reasons

My reasons… ( perspective of parent and nutrition educator…)

When all said and done – as long as they have a go we are making progress!!