Kitchen Skills and Tools

Don't ever let anyone tell you that learning is just ABC's and 123's; it's not! I've noticed a huge confidence boost in my kids when that acquire skills that they are used to seeing adults use. Letting my kids help at every meal can be overwhelming for me, so I choose a meal of the day to let someone help. Today it was lunch and my little helper was my recently-turned-5 little man. 

I'm going to share with you my newest kid-friendly addition to the kitchen, too.

We cut fruit today and made smoothies for lunch. So where did the learning occur? 

1. Identifying fruit and how to properly peel (if necessary). For us, we sliced strawberries and he learned how to remove the prickly skin and inner core of a pineapple. 

2. He learned how to properly hold a knife and the food being cut (even though the possibility of him injuring himself with this knife is extremely low). He is still required to use it as though it could chop a finger.

3. We used measuring cups for the liquid and so he learned about where and how high to fill, how to hold it level, and to identify the labels for measuring.

4. Lastly, he counted pieces of fruit----math! For example, I told him, "Add 17 pieces of pineapple." 

And now, to tell you about these knives!! If you haven't seen them already, they are AMAZING! They have a ton of great reviews on Amazon, there are 3 in a pack, and they are sharp enough to cut fruit and veggies, but safe for the kids. I really like them. Right now they are $8.95 for a 3 count (3 different sizes included).  I saw these when we were at a friend's house and I am so glad we got them. 

How about you? Any great kid + kitchen tips? Feel free to share!