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As the interest in eating healthful food rises across the U.S.A., schools are making an effort to teach kids how simple it is to make dishes that are both delicious and nutritious.

If you read last week’s article, you know that gardening classes are not only aiming at teaching kids how things grow, but also showing the connection between nature and the food that we consume. Gardening classes provide an excellent platform for cooking classes because students can go from gardens directly to the kitchen; that is, students are able to see the connection between classrooms (gardens) and the real world (restaurants and kitchens).

Many cooking classes show students how to make simple dishes like pizza, smoothies, burgers, and sandwiches. Schools provide ingredients, and teachers usually ask for parent volunteers to help out in order to have more adults present. Cooking teachers will tell students about ingredients and will talk about the science behind all the preparation. For example, a teacher might talk about how yeast acts as a leavening agent to help make pizza dough rise. Another example of the science of cooking is that you can keep cut apples from turning brown (oxidation) by squeezing lemon juice (an anti-oxidant) on them. Then teachers will show how to use ingredients in cooking. After that, students will try their hands at making dishes. Finally, they will experience the best part - eating their delicious creations!