Using Cooking to Enhance Your Child's Reading Skills!

Cooking may not be your forte or you may be a person that is so good in the kitchen that you could win a baking competition.  Years ago as a young wife I did not have a long list of items I could prepare.  In fact my husband and I have many funny stories about the craziness that happened in the kitchen while I was learning to cook.  After years of practicing and experimenting, along with learning from others, I can cook for a small family or even up to 400 people in a commercial kitchen. 

Without instructions in the form of recipes or information off a website, it would be difficult to turnout a great meal for our family and friends.  In a similar way, we follow instructions or a recipe for student success.  Reading is a key to a successful tenure as a student, no matter what grade your child is currently in.  As a parent or grandparent you may be wondering how to support your child as they learn to read or improve their reading skills. 

One way to keep your child interested in reading while you are reading to them, or they are reading a book, is to identify options from the story for your work in the kitchen.  Teaming up with your child in the kitchen is a good way to support not only their cooking skills, but reading, mixed in with a bit of mathematics!   For example, the book “Dragons Love Tacos” talks about why Dragons eat tacos and how hot sauce makes them snort smoke.  Your cooking lesson could begin with tacos and spread to the condiments and other supporting items for the meal.  When your child helps you search for and read recipes, they will learn so much about various types of food and how to measure the items.  You can even sneak in a bit of math when talking about ½ cup or ¼ teaspoon.

If you are interested in reading Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham to your child, it is a fun time to make eggs, whether they are green or regular.  Even if you did not make green scrambled eggs, you could talk about adding green food coloring to other recipes like cupcakes, tropical fruit punch or pancakes.  It will be so much fun working with your child and helping them to learn how to read the recipe, cook and bake.

Each March Columbia School District celebrates Reading Month!  Our students will be focusing on reading this month and will be bringing home interesting ideas of how to make reading more fun.  Give your child the gift of reading by creating extraordinary ways of encouraging them.  Remember: Reading if the key to success!  If you are interested in learning more about Columbia School District email me at Pamela.Campbell@myeagles.org or call 5175926641.