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Greetings!

Deborah Wuehler  and family

I make lots of edible experiments in the lab called my kitchen--and sometimes we have them for dinner and sometimes the dogs get them. But seriously, there is so much more than cooking going on; there is a lot of learning and life happening in the kitchen.

There is math going on, clean-up skills and the character building that chores bring; there is the serving of family, amazing science experiments, and the making of healthy foods. But for me, most importantly, these everyday moments in our own home spent together doing these things will become some of my best memories of motherhood, and the place my children's memories of childhood will someday dwell.

I have learned to say "yes" to children who want to do something productive whether it is cooking, building, planting, or creating. Messy, yes, but these are the times they are most like their Creator. The messes are just a sign of the beauty of creativity and the best kind of hands-on learning.

I think the real joy of it all is that we have our own children in our own homes under our own feet in our own kitchens and around our own tables. Our "school" has the best classroom ever. It has couches and comfy chairs and even beds and trees for reading in; it even has an awesome kitchen where we can either do fun experiments or make yummy snacks or cook and clean together. Who else has a school like that? And our kids are free to go to the kitchen without a permission slip and to the restroom without a hall pass and they are free to plant a garden in the spring just because they want to and they are free to paint a masterpiece if the fancy hits them. They are free to sing praises in the living room and dance in the dining room and laugh in the bedrooms because they are free to be home where they belong.

Yes, learning happens in the kitchen, but it also happens all over the house. We are more than blessed to have our children here where we are free to give them hugs and kisses throughout the day, and pray with them and speak about the mighty wonders of God with them . . . when we sit in the house, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise up* . . . and even in the kitchen.

~Deborah

TOS Senior Editor

SeniorEditor@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com  

 *Deuteronomy 6:4-7

• Here is an archived article about science in the kitchen
• Here's one about math in the kitchen
• Teaching culinary skills in the kitchen
• Bringing preschoolers into the kitchen

Diana Waring

Relational Homeschooling

www.DianaWaring.com 

Dear Friends,

Happy Easter to you all! May the reality of the Resurrection be realized afresh in your family this week.

Before I share thoughts on today's topic, I need to first tell you that I love to cook. I mean, really love it. In the early days of our marriage, I thought seriously about starting a catering business . . . and I taught gourmet cooking classes in our little community. YUM!

So, when I talk about doing anything in the kitchen, you need to understand that for me, it's a comforting, creative place. Now, obviously, that's not the case for everyone, is it? For some, the kitchen is a place to shun, the site of burnt offerings, the mysterious, Macbeth-ish spot of swirling smoke and odors. If that cuts close, then my hats off to you for unswerving perseverance in feeding your family!!!

The point of making your kitchen a place of learning--whatever the subject--is to open yourself to the possibility of mess, mixtures, and even melodramas. Believe me, those will perk up even the most mundane day of homeschooling!

For instance, I remember the day when my daughter, her friend, and I were planning to make lye soap from scratch. We had purchased a soap-making kit from Maine, which included the essential lye. (You can't buy this in stores anymore, because it can be used to blow things up!) We worked diligently in the kitchen to get everything set up for the soap, but, fortunately, we decided to put the ingredients together outside. I say "fortunately" because, without the slightest warning, the container suddenly exploded! After seeing that we had all survived, we laughed and laughed and laughed.

As I mentioned, these kinds of incidents certainly perk up the mundane everydayness of homeschooling.

The kitchen is a fabulous place for enticing your students into a love of history, geography, literature, mathematics, science, or art. Consider these possibilities:

History--Make Chicken Marengo as you study Napoleon

Geography--Make Pesto Pizza as you learn about Italy

Literature--Make Hasty Pudding as you read the Little House books

Mathematics--Triple a cookie recipe while practicing fractions

Science--Start vegetable seeds and watch them develop and grow

Art--Make homemade playdough and create a sculpture

Whether the kitchen is a place you love or hate, for your children it is a door into new adventures and delightful learning!

Remember, stay relational.

Diana  

P.S. If you or your kids LOVE to have learning come alive through the kitchen, be sure to check out my curriculum. I have a fascinating and fabulous recipe ( historical or geographical) in each chapter!   

Raising Real Men

www.RaisingRealMen.com 

Hal & Melanie Young

When we read, "Make your kitchen a science lab," we think, "So, isn't it already?" When you homeschool, where else are you going to do all that messy stuff? Seriously, the kitchen is the perfect place for science: well-lit, hard surfaces, a source of heat and one of cold, and a sink right there. Just be very sure you wash up well! After all, human experimentation is just not a good idea!

Once you've got your boys in the kitchen, though, invite them to stay. One of our teens said the other day, "You know, it's sad, but I'm a way better cook than most of the girls I know." That's because with all boys for the first 15 years, we had to get them working around the house and since Melanie loves to cook, they've grown up in the kitchen. You can get your guys to enjoy cooking, too.

Try bulk-cooking. Boys just love the industrial vibe of huge pots and cooking gallons at a time. Boys who resist cooking will jump right in when you're making ten lasagnas instead of just one.

Get out of the kitchen. Boys love to feel responsible for things. If you can hand off supper and let them handle it themselves, you'll be surprised at how well they'll do--and how proud they'll be of their accomplishments.

Allow some experimentation. Around 11 or 12 years old, boys seem to love to innovate. This can turn out great (like the portabella quiche one of ours made at twelve) or not-so-great (not even gonna talk about the candy in the chicken wraps!), but they're more likely to turn out great if you say, "Hey, why don't you find a recipe you'd like to try," and let them at it. It's hard to let go, but it's great to see what happens when you do. Hey, if you end up with Skittles™ stew, at least you'll have a great story to tell on them!

As it often is, it's all in the marketing. Call the chore "Chef of the Day" and encourage them to take on the responsibility. One day they might just bring you an omelet for breakfast like one of ours did today--and that's way more exciting than even science is.

Yours in the battle,

Hal & Melanie

We just started a new session of Boot Camp 9-12: Getting Geared Up for the Teen Years, our LIVE interactive webinar series exclusively for parents of nine to twelve year old boys, and it's not too late to join up. Check it out here. 

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