I did not learn how to eat or cook well until I was an adult. Growing up, I was basically on my own when it came to preparing some of the meals because I was raised by a single parent who worked full time. She didn't have the time or energy to teach me the art and science of cookery. As a result, I gorged myself on junk food, canned food, frozen food, or whatever I could find that was simple enough to prepare in a microwave or toaster. There are many children who eat poorly because they have not been taught how to prepare nutritious snacks/meals that will sustain their energy. There is an obesity epidemic in the United States resulting from the consumption of non-nutritious food, yet most students do not get an opportunity to learn the basics of healthy cooking unless they take a Home Economics class in high school. The sets of tools I am requesting, such as single burners, mixing bowls, measuring cups and utensils, will help younger students learn to prepare basic nutritious meals/snacks while simultaneously reinforcing concepts they are learning in other classes. For example, students will practice math skills when measuring ingredients or science concepts to understand how temperature affects food or why a sanitary kitchen is critical. It requires comprehension skills to interpret recipes or historical knowledge to understand the origins and impact of regional cuisine. Cooking promotes the use of creativity, executive functioning skills and teamwork to get the job done. Learning to cook healthy, delicious food is practical and empowering on many levels, but it requires a lot of equipment to make it a "hands-on" experience versus one in which the students can only "watch" the teacher demonstrate what to do.
About my class
I did not learn how to eat or cook well until I was an adult. Growing up, I was basically on my own when it came to preparing some of the meals because I was raised by a single parent who worked full time. She didn't have the time or energy to teach me the art and science of cookery. As a result, I gorged myself on junk food, canned food, frozen food, or whatever I could find that was simple enough to prepare in a microwave or toaster. There are many children who eat poorly because they have not been taught how to prepare nutritious snacks/meals that will sustain their energy. There is an obesity epidemic in the United States resulting from the consumption of non-nutritious food, yet most students do not get an opportunity to learn the basics of healthy cooking unless they take a Home Economics class in high school. The sets of tools I am requesting, such as single burners, mixing bowls, measuring cups and utensils, will help younger students learn to prepare basic nutritious meals/snacks while simultaneously reinforcing concepts they are learning in other classes. For example, students will practice math skills when measuring ingredients or science concepts to understand how temperature affects food or why a sanitary kitchen is critical. It requires comprehension skills to interpret recipes or historical knowledge to understand the origins and impact of regional cuisine. Cooking promotes the use of creativity, executive functioning skills and teamwork to get the job done. Learning to cook healthy, delicious food is practical and empowering on many levels, but it requires a lot of equipment to make it a "hands-on" experience versus one in which the students can only "watch" the teacher demonstrate what to do.
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