Hobbies And Interests
Cook Against the Clock
See how fast kids can make a simple dish while cooking on the clock. Design a recipe that is challenging but not impossible for your age group to accomplish. For example, making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is appropriate for 4- and 5-year-olds. Write a specific recipe and make enough copies so each child has one. Have a few adults on hand to assist with reading the recipe in case the children are very young.
Create teams of two or three children or hold individual races. Provide enough ingredients for each child or team and clear a defined workspace for the game. Set your kitchen timer for five or 10 minutes to create masterpieces. Reward each child or team with a kitchen tool, such as a child-friendly pizza cutter or spatula, as a prize for making their dish before the buzzer goes off.
Blindfold the Cook
See how many marshmallows kids can spoon into a bowl while blindfolded. Get a large spoon, one scarf for a blindfold, kitchen timer, two large bowls and a large bag of marshmallows. Pour the marshmallows into one bowl, set another large empty bowl next to it and call your first player. Blindfold the player, hand him the large spoon and gently spin him around three times. Point him in the direction of the marshmallow bowl and see how many marshmallows he can spoon into the bowl in one minute. Count the marshmallows and call the next player. The player who spoons the most marshmallows wins and everyone gets to eat the marshmallows.
Ultimate Food Challenge
Hold a food "throw down" to see who can make the best dish. Choose one dish, such as cookies or pancakes, that everyone in your group could potentially cook. Purchase a variety of ingredients in addition to what's needed for the basic recipe to allow contestants to be extra creative. Designate workspaces for each child and give everyone easy access to the ingredients. Provide a basic recipe for the dish or ask each participant to bring her own. Give each player an index card with a number she will use to identify her creation. Ask two or three friends to be judges, perform a blind taste test and determine a winner. The judges are absent while the players are cooking so they won't know who cooked the dishes.