I want kids to learn more in the kitchen than how to make crispy cakes and fairy cakes. The aim of Mini Yummers is to get kids making all kinds of treats and meals that would make anyone say “yummers!” while at the same time adding a bit of knowledge and fun too.
All recipes are easy to follow, none of them are expensive to produce, and your kids will learn a range of kitchen skills along the way.
Most recipes on Mini Yummers have the added bonus of being educational in one (or more) of the following ways:
Science
Examples: What makes popcorn pop? How do you make the bubbly bits in Crunchie bars?
From Field to Fork
(Where food comes from)
Examples: How do bees make honey? How is chocolate made?
Historical/Cultural
Examples: Who Invented Macaroni Cheese? What do Mexican kids eat for lunch?
Healthy & Delicious
Examples: How to make healthy bread that’s not brown. Is there such a thing as a healthy biscuit?
Just for Fun
Cooking is also a great way to improve your child’s fine motor skills, concentration, reading skills, and math skills. But shhhh, they don’t have to know that! So even if you’re trying out a ‘just for fun’ recipe, the kids are still learning something too–they just don’t realise it.
Turning your kids into Mini Yummers has lots of plus points for you too:
- Fussy eaters are much more likely to eat something they’ve made (knowing what’s gone in to it) than a plate of food that you put in front of them. It takes away the fear, and I can personally say that this really does work.
- It might even mean that they’ll be the ones making you dinner on a regular basis (with a little help to begin with, of course).
- You can be confident that you aren’t raising a member of the fast food/readymeal generation.
- It keeps them busy in a practical way, and is something you can do together. Talking about their day as you both go about your kitchen jobs is a fantastic way for them to open up.
- Most of all, cooking with Mini Yummers will be fun!
Grown-Ups Allowed
And grown-ups haven’t been forgotten either! We’ve introduced a new section to Mini Yummers, called Grown-Ups Allowed, which is (as its name suggests) aimed at grown-ups rather than the kids, and looks at cooking FOR kids, rather than cooking WITH kids.
These recipes will be quick and easy, and although you can of course cook these with your kids, there is no ‘learning stirred in’ in this section. We’ll look at things like speed-packing healthy lunchboxes, coping with food allergies, how to deal with the problem of fussy eating etc.