a Kids Cook Monday Class
Inspired to Help Your Community Eat Healthier? Start a Kids Cook Monday Class! When Deirdre Holmes became a mom, she started thinking more about the importance healthy eating. Inspired to make a difference in her community, she joined the Kids Cook Monday movement as a blogger and began offering Kids Cook Monday classes in her community outside of Burlington, Vermont as a way to help local families learn basic food literacy, cooking skills and finding time to fit home cooking into their hectic schedules. If you’ve been inspired by Fed Up and want to help your community cook and eat healthy, home-cooked food together, consider starting your own Kids Cook Monday classes. We asked Deirdre for some advice on getting a Kids Cook Monday class up and running: Why teach a class associated with The Kids Cook Monday movement?
Mixing eggs and ricotta cheese for Deirdre’s Very Veggie Lasagne
“I like being able to put the class into a bigger context, and find it inspires parents to value the time spent with their child around cooking, preparing and eating food more.” says Deirdre. “The research the movement refers to regarding the benefits associated with family meals is very motivating – it elevates taking a cooking class together from simply one fun activity to nourishing the next generation with a good meal as well as many bigger picture benefits.” Who can teach a Kids Cook Monday class? Do you have to be a trained chef or nutritionist? The movement is open to anyone interested in getting their hands dirty in the kitchen! “It can be a real treat to take a cooking class from a trained chef,” says Deirdre. “However, the vast majority of meals are prepared by home cooks, and since it is home cooking we are encouraging, I think an experienced home cook can have the necessary qualifications.” What else does a Kids Cook Monday teacher need to know? “In addition to confidence in cooking, the teacher needs to develop the recipe, come prepared with all the ingredients and any equipment not available at the teaching location, and consider how best to break down the steps for a group which may include a variety of ages, experience levels and skills,” Deirdre says. Visit TheKidsCookMonday.org for a free Educator’s Toolkit and a collection of child-friendly recipes (including Deirdre’s Very Veggie Lasagne!)
Visit
for more information about cooking with kids
How do you find the right facility for Kids Cook Monday classes? If possible, look for a school or community center with a cooking classroom. “I started offering [my] cooking classes through the community education program held at our high school. We are fortunate to have that facility, but a community center, a church kitchen or a private home kitchen could serve as locations for community classes as well.” Deirdre says. If your space lacks a full kitchen, consider a recipe that only requires a hot plate or toaster oven. How do you fund your classes?
A student in Deirdre’s class stirs red sauce for lasagne
Deirdre’s students pay a fee for her class, but there are many options. “For the Kids Cook Monday classes, cooking pairs (an adult and a child) pay $50 for the 2.5 hour class, dinner and left-overs to take to their families and a copy of all the recipes.” Alternatively, try holding a fundraiser, asking for donations, or seeking grant funding. The Kids Cook Monday Educator Toolkit has more tips on finding funding.
What advice do you leave families with at the end of the class? “I refer to the research on TheKidsCookMonday.org,” Deirdre says. “My daughter and I demonstrate our enthusiasm for taking part in family meal making together. Dinner conversation often turns to questions about when the next class is and what the menu will be. I like to ask the children for suggestions. I also like to ask the children if they will make today's recipes again, and/or how they might change them. I like to encourage them to have the confidence and creativity to swap one ingredient for another, to adjust the recipe for another season when other vegetables might be fresher and readily available locally, to consider family member's likes and dislikes and tailor what they have just made to please everyone around their table at home.” Can one individual who takes the initiative to start a Kids Cook Monday community cooking class really make a difference? “Not only do I fully believe inspired individuals can make a marked difference, I think it is one of the most effective ways to make change,” Deirdre says. And she’s seen change happen because of her classes, too. “I am thrilled to say, the response has been very positive, with both adults and children asking to come again at the end of a class session.”
Ready to take action? Visit TheKidsCookMonday.org for a collection of free resources on cooking with kids and starting your own Kids Cook Monday class. Don’t forget to let us know about your plans so we can help you out! Visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Visit
for more information about cooking with kids
Mixing eggs and ricotta cheese for Deirdre’s Very Veggie Lasagne
“I like being able to put the class into a bigger context, and find it inspires parents to value the time spent with their child around cooking, preparing and eating food more.” says Deirdre. “The research the movement refers to regarding the benefits associated with family meals is very motivating – it elevates taking a cooking class together from simply one fun activity to nourishing the next generation with a good meal as well as many bigger picture benefits.” Who can teach a Kids Cook Monday class? Do you have to be a trained chef or nutritionist? The movement is open to anyone interested in getting their hands dirty in the kitchen! “It can be a real treat to take a cooking class from a trained chef,” says Deirdre. “However, the vast majority of meals are prepared by home cooks, and since it is home cooking we are encouraging, I think an experienced home cook can have the necessary qualifications.” What else does a Kids Cook Monday teacher need to know? “In addition to confidence in cooking, the teacher needs to develop the recipe, come prepared with all the ingredients and any equipment not available at the teaching location, and consider how best to break down the steps for a group which may include a variety of ages, experience levels and skills,” Deirdre says. Visit TheKidsCookMonday.org for a free Educator’s Toolkit and a collection of child-friendly recipes (including Deirdre’s Very Veggie Lasagne!)
Visit
for more information about cooking with kids
How do you find the right facility for Kids Cook Monday classes? If possible, look for a school or community center with a cooking classroom. “I started offering [my] cooking classes through the community education program held at our high school. We are fortunate to have that facility, but a community center, a church kitchen or a private home kitchen could serve as locations for community classes as well.” Deirdre says. If your space lacks a full kitchen, consider a recipe that only requires a hot plate or toaster oven. How do you fund your classes?
A student in Deirdre’s class stirs red sauce for lasagne
Deirdre’s students pay a fee for her class, but there are many options. “For the Kids Cook Monday classes, cooking pairs (an adult and a child) pay $50 for the 2.5 hour class, dinner and left-overs to take to their families and a copy of all the recipes.” Alternatively, try holding a fundraiser, asking for donations, or seeking grant funding. The Kids Cook Monday Educator Toolkit has more tips on finding funding.
What advice do you leave families with at the end of the class? “I refer to the research on TheKidsCookMonday.org,” Deirdre says. “My daughter and I demonstrate our enthusiasm for taking part in family meal making together. Dinner conversation often turns to questions about when the next class is and what the menu will be. I like to ask the children for suggestions. I also like to ask the children if they will make today's recipes again, and/or how they might change them. I like to encourage them to have the confidence and creativity to swap one ingredient for another, to adjust the recipe for another season when other vegetables might be fresher and readily available locally, to consider family member's likes and dislikes and tailor what they have just made to please everyone around their table at home.” Can one individual who takes the initiative to start a Kids Cook Monday community cooking class really make a difference? “Not only do I fully believe inspired individuals can make a marked difference, I think it is one of the most effective ways to make change,” Deirdre says. And she’s seen change happen because of her classes, too. “I am thrilled to say, the response has been very positive, with both adults and children asking to come again at the end of a class session.”
Ready to take action? Visit TheKidsCookMonday.org for a collection of free resources on cooking with kids and starting your own Kids Cook Monday class. Don’t forget to let us know about your plans so we can help you out! Visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Visit
for more information about cooking with kids
