Chow Fun for Kids

Chow Fun for Kids – Things to Do with Your Kids in the Kitchen

There is something about the Fall season that makes me feel comforted. I think the fact that the colors of the season are warm is one reason. I just love rusty oranges, reds, and purples. But I also think it's because we're nearing the season when we spend more time with family.

As a dietitian, one of the ways fall affects me is that I start thinking more about being in the kitchen.

Or at least getting my husband and son in the kitchen! 😉 So, when I started brainstorming things I could create to give you fun things to do with your kids, I did some internet searches. And I was so excited to find that many people are searching for fun things to do with their kids in the kitchen, specifically Chow Fun.

As you already know, “chow” is another way of saying “food.”

Since food and nutrition is right up my alley (and my hubby's), I knew I was off to a good start. 🙂 But I also wanted to create something unique that you and your family could enjoy and learn from.

After all, you are my friends. So, I want to give you something to make the season more memorable, fun, while at the same time educational. Also, bringing something you can use at other times of the year is important. After all, even though certain spices are specifically used during the fall season, they are used year-round as well! So…

When I think about the fall season, spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger come to mind.

So, I thought it would be super fun (and educational) for you to get in the kitchen with your kids and have some chow fun with these fall spices. As a result, I created a SUPER AWESOME Activity Pack devoted to spices and foods of the fall season. I'm hoping that these activities will get your kids in the kitchen, no matter how young or old they are. Also, I'm excited that they will be experiencing the pleasure of smelling, tasting, touching, seeing, and making their own unique spice combination.

And when your kids figure out what kinds of yummy treats they can make with the spices, they’re going to be even more enthusiastic about doing it! I know my son was. See below for example.

By the way this recipe is included in the spice activity pack as well as a recipe for homemade cream of pumpkin soup, and homemade vanilla butter. And links are included to dozens more ideas.

Check out these delectable cinnamon rolls! They are just coming out of the oven!

By the way, most of the kitchen projects will utilize a mortar and pestle.

I chose the mortar and pestle method for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, I wanted the kitchen projects to be safe for everyone in your family, including preschoolers. All of us learn better when we are “hands-on” in our learning. However, preschoolers especially will experience first-hand the wonders of the season with this project.

Secondly, I think that learning how to use the mortar and pestle will be a great hands-on exercise to help with the development of fine and gross motor skills.

Thirdly, when your kids are in the kitchen doing projects, they are actively learning, which they usually love! Plus, this will give you the chance to spend time with them. Better yet, if they have brothers and sisters, they get to practice working together as a team.

And last but not least, getting most kids to taste new and unfamiliar foods can be a challenge. This can especially be a problem if they are picky eaters. But I have found that my son, who is autistic, is much more interested in trying new foods when he has prepared them himself.

There are other reasons, but I'll stop now.

By the way, can you think of any other reasons why getting your kids in the kitchen and learning how to prepare and cook food would be a good experience for everyone in the family?

Leave a comment below. I'd LOVE to hear from you!

Chow Fun for Everyone!

My hubby and son worked together to complete the project to make sure it would work. We learned that it takes quite a while to get those whole spices ground just right.

So, the first thing you want to remember is that it will take time and patience to make the spices as fine as they are when you purchase them already ground in the store.

However, patience pays off, because fresh spices taste fresher and are stronger in flavor. Thus, you will not need to use as much fresh spice.

The other challenge is finding all of the spices if you don't live in an area where the store sells them. For example, we bought whole nutmeg from Amazon because they didn't have it in our regular grocery stores. So, if you have any problems finding the spices listed, you can one of two things:

Find an online store to purchase them
Buy already ground.

I do hope you will not have to resort to number two. However, it is true that there are tons more activities included in my mega pack. If you click here now, you find a better explanation of the product itself. 🙂

If you or your children get tired of grinding the old-fashioned way.

You can also break out a coffee grinder or food processor and finish it off. That's what my husband ended up doing.

By the way, the whole process, including how to make cinnamon rolls, yummy fall recipes, and much more is available in the Fall Spices – Get Your Kids in the Kitchen Mega Pack which can be found here.