"Cooking for Learning: Using Food to Connect Your Student's Skills"

By SJMS Upper Elementary teacher, Jennifer Robertson

Every culture and human community in the world has traditions around food and cooking. Cooking and eating are so ubiquitous that in the Montessori Cosmic Curriculum, food is part of the Fundamental Needs of Humans presentation, and students are invited to consider the many ways in which humans meet their nutritional needs throughout history. Food is a part of our everyday lives, and exploring the world of food and cooking provides great opportunities for students to practice skills from many different subject areas.

“Respect for food is respect for life, for who we are and what we do.” –Thomas Keller.

Cooking is Math

Recipes provide great examples of real-world math and the practical applications of many math operations. Students can practice working with fractions, using basic math operations when doubling or halving a recipe. If using metric or volume measurements (grams or milliliters), students can practice multi-digit addition and multiplication, as well as practice using scales for weight. Quality kitchen scales are easily affordable and can provide a wealth of opportunities for recipes, as well as refine a student's sense of proportion and relative size. Have your students make a chart comparing the weights of different ingredients, or have them create their own conversion charts between metric and imperial measurements (1 cup of flour equals how many grams?). How handy would this be for future cooking projects?

Budgeting and recipe analysis is also great practice for unit rate calculations and working with decimals. Students can use grocery websites to look up prices and create a cost-analysis of a recipe or devise a weekly food budget for the family. Younger children can help count out the ingredients, as in how many apples should go in the bag, or compare the cost of similar items, as in which type of apple has the highest price. Not only will students gain mathematical skills, but they will also become more aware of the cost and practicalities of feeding their families.

“Through practical exercises...the children develop a true “social feeling,” for they are working in the environment of the community in which they live, without concerning themselves as to whether it is for their own, or for the common good." - Dr. Maria Montessori

Cooking is Language

Recipes, menus, nutrition labels: reading and language are built into cooking. Students explore word specificity and nuance in recipes - baking soda is different from baking powder, and a teaspoon is different from a tablespoon. Students build their vocabulary by examining the variety of verbs in a recipe, and by learning about different ingredients. By encouraging your students to read menus and recipes out loud, they can practice their fluency and reading comprehension. Students can also write about food by comparing and contrasting their favorite foods - their favorite vegetable, and the difference between chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies. Students also love giving their opinions, so invite them to write a review of their most recent trip to a restaurant. Encourage them to use descriptive adjectives and make intentional word choices, strengthening their writing and communication skills.

“The hand is the instrument of intelligence. The child needs to manipulate objects and to gain experience by touching and handling." - Dr. Maria Montessori

Cooking is Practical Life

Working with food provides a plethora of opportunities to practice practical skills, from fine and gross motor development to competency in the kitchen and knowledge of how to provide for others. At St. Joseph Montessori, students regularly prepare food for each other. From the smallest students to the largest, many hands make food in our learning community. Children's House students prepare daily snacks for their classrooms, Lower Elementary students bake and prepare special celebration foods, Upper Elementary students prepare a community meal once per month, and Middle School students serve food weekly on Pasta Wednesdays and Pizza Fridays. This practice encourages service, empathy, kindness, and gratitude in our communities. Cooking projects demand teamwork and listening skills, as well as organizational strategies and executive functioning planning and preparation. And providing nourishment for others builds confidence and a sense of competence, that one can care for and provide for another person.

At home, preparing meals can support many aspects of a child's development. They can build confidence by learning new techniques, practice their fine motor skills with chopping, pouring, stirring, whisking, and serving, and gain a sense of gratitude by understanding the work that goes into providing a meal. Cooking at home does not need to be complicated; no one needs salmon en croute on a daily basis. Just giving your student the support to make macaroni and cheese from a box will empower them. You can also open conversations about meal planning and nutrition by inviting them to create menus of balanced, nutritious food, which will also increase the likelihood they will eat it! Ask your students to pack their own lunches or prepare lunch foods on a weekend to make it easy to grab and go during the week. Dr. Montessori prioritized authentic, real-world engagement for her students, understanding that the greatest learning gains are made when students understand the relevance of the activity. By preparing their own meals or cooking food for others, the value of service is made real. Plus, who couldn't use an extra pair of capable hands in the kitchen? Many hands make light work indeed!

“We do not teach the children these things [practical life activities] to make little servants of them, but because we have observed that of their own accord children actually take the greatest interest in perfecting all the movements of daily life." - Dr. Maria Montessori

Cooking is Independence

At the core of Montessori education is the emphasis on the independence of the child. Students are empowered to make their own choices, schedule their time in the work cycle as they see fit, and to demonstrate their learning in creative and unique ways. The goal of Montessori education is to recognize that "in every child is the seed that will mature into an adult," and to help each child prepare for his or her own life. Being able to prepare nutritional, filling, and wholesome food is a necessary life skill that will sustain children throughout their lives and give them a sense of independence and self-reliance. Students develop a community and compassion for others by preparing food and learning important life skills in teamwork and communication. Cooking gives so much to students. Plus they'll get really good at fractions!