Learning to cook is an essential life skill everyone should strive to develop at some point in their life. Involving kids in the kitchen is a great way to kickstart learning from a young age and comes with numerous benefits. Cooking with kids provides opportunities to teach them about food and nutrition. Involvement in meal preparation exposes them to new foods in a positive way and increases their likelihood of trying new foods, such as fruits and vegetables (van der Horst et al., 2014). Consequently, getting your kids cooking may be a great way to raise less picky and more adventurous eaters. (Utah Extension Website: https://extension.usu.edu/)

Teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime and will help to build confidence. Youth who can prepare foods are also more likely to eat a healthier diet as adults.   children need to know how to prepare food safely. The Hancock County Extension Family & Consumer Science Agent implemented a three-day youth cooking camp for ages 9-14.  We had 6 participants with 4 girls and 2 boys. No previous cooking experience was required for the free program and participants learned to master a variety of cooking techniques. The 3-day program consisted of knife skills, kitchen safety, food safety, measuring skills, nutrition education, stovetop cooking, baking, physical activities and educational games hosted at the Hancock County Extension Office.  Surveys from the program indicated that 100 percent of the participants learned food safety and practices, how to follow instructions and how to cook various recipes. Over 80% of participants plan to eat more fruit and vegetables. 83% of participants plan to drink more water and less soda. 100% of participants agree they have the confidence to help prepare a family meal.