[allie]

My daughter is in 7th grade and has just taken her second cooking class (one last year). This year, she learned to make blueberry pancakes (from scratch), donuts from canned biscuits with cinnamon sugar, and tasted a lot of different veggies. Most of the veggies she'd already had with me and even mentioned some others to her teacher. lol She took a sample of my cinnamon basil from my small herb garden today for her teacher to try. The teacher actually asked if I had a plant to share but I told my daughter, she'd have to go spend the $5 plus that I did to get one. lol We are getting sick of donuts. Every weekend she's been making them and they are so greasy and heavy.

Anyway, to get to the point, these cooking classes and helping me in the kitchen have made her think seriously about pursuing a career in the culinary arts. Of course, she's still young yet so may change her mind. I'd love to see her do this. She's always been a chowhound, so to speak, so I think she'd really enjoy a career in the food industry.

Just wanted to share. Of course, if anyone has any feedback on this, it's always welcome. Any advice for her would also be appreciated.

[Frayedknot]

I think it is great that she is learning about food, flavors, and cooking at an early age.

When I was in high school (early 70's) we had "home economics" for the girls and "wood shop" for the guys! We would "switch" for 1 semester girls to drafting and woodshop and guys to home ec. The girls would draw a napkin holder, then make paper patterns and finish with actually cutting, sanding staining etc the holder. The guys would make a simple apron (which we wore in wood shop) and also learn some basic baking cinnamon buns, biscuts. I thought it was a great way to learn. I learned to sew my own buttons, still do it today on chef coats, shirts that come from the cleaners with broken buttons I would have to say that between that and spending time cooking with my grandmother (gosh I STILL miss her) were probably what lit the fire and started the passion for food for me.

Sadly, those classes are gone from most schools today. Today the kids focus on how to skip school and go to the beach surfing, or to "hang out"

Allie, keep encouraging her, if she is with you in the kitchen, she isnt ... well you get the idea.

[Mezzaluna]

Allie, it's great that your daughter has the opportunity to have these classes. Too many school districts are cutting them as "frills" or "unnecessary" because they are not part of standardized testing needed for No Child Left Behind. I hope your community continues to support these programs. Middle school is an important time for kids to explore many things. We just hope it's things like your daughter is doing and not what Frayedknot mentioned.

My reading classroom was down the hall from the Family and Consumer Education (FACE) classroom, where the curriculum included how to budget for and select food as well as how to cook (mostly) healthy meals. In the 60s when I went to Junior High, we girls got one week of woodshop (to make a cutting board), one week of how to wire a lamp socket and plug, and that was it. I wanted more woodshop and less cooking because I, like Frayedknot, learned from my mom and grandmother. I didn't want to learn how to make chicken a la king, but that was what was in the curriculum at that time.

We can only hope that things will continue moving forward to sustainable agriculture, slow food and seasonality and away from use of processed foods and unhealthful ingredients.

[Mezzaluna]

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[allie]

She also made biscuits and chocolate chip cookies. The biscuits were truly awesome! The cookies were cooked a bit too long, but I know that timing comes with learning and especially knowing your oven! lol They made an apron in 5th grade and have to use it when they cook. She has also learned to sew an organizer bag for her locker and a duffel bag! The boys and girls take this class and it lasts for half a year. The other half, she took agriculture and computers. Her favorite, by far, is the cooking part. The sewing is ok but not what she's really interested in right now.

I encourage her by letting her cook dinner some nights with supervision and also allowing her to help plan menus and go shopping with me. I teach her price comparisons and how some cheap things really do not substitute for the higher priced item.

Frayedknot (hey I know you from a chili board!), I am so thankful that she'd rather be home helping me than out running around. We just learned this weekend that a 15 yr old neighbor is pregnant.......that's only 2 years older than my daughter!! I don't let her run rampant and don't intend to start it anytime soon. lol Her friends love to eat my cooking (their moms' don't really cook or they eat a lot of fast food) so enjoy coming over to stay at our house. One of her friends said I need to cook for the school. What a compliment!!

[allie]

Edited: double post