Cooking with kids and giving them freedom

Having fun in the kitchen with kids

One of the best ways to get your kids involved in the kitchen, is to teach them to cook. If you're too busy to cook much or you just don't like it, you can still instill a love of cooking in your children by letting someone else teach them.

There are still a few spots left in the South Orange Maplewood Adult School's "Cooking with Kids" class at South Orange Middle School. The instructor is Maplewood caterer Tsipi Kaplan, who runs camps and cooking classes for kids in her home. My 9-year-old son loves to cook, in part, because of Kaplan. And, now, after attending her camps, he eats two more "two" things than he used to – guacamole and pesto – both of which he makes for us.

 "I like to give them a sense of control and a chance to be creative," Kaplan said.  "They get to smell all the ingredients and taste them, and I find it makes them more receptive to trying things, especially, after they've made them."

 Tonight's class starts at 7 p.m., costs $35 and is designed for third graders and older. You and your child will learn to make chicken spring rolls, which have become part of the menu rotation at our house.  There are only six spots left so, if you're interested, sign up quickly at http://www.ssreg.com/som/classes/classes.asp?catID=2663&pcatID=2662 . Bon Appétit!

Free Range Children

 America's so-called "Worst Mom" will speak tonight at a meeting of the  Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills at the Burgdorff Cultural Center in Maplewood. Lenore Skenazy, who earned the "Worst Mom" moniker after letting her 9-year-old ride the New York City subway alone, will discuss raising safe, self-reliant children in the 21^st Century.  After she was blasted in the media, Skenazy went on to write a book and a blog about raising "free range kids" in the age of helicopter parenting.

"We are so excited to host Lenore.  She is a witty and entertaining speaker who will discuss the balance between parental protectiveness and kids' need for freedom," said Junior League President  Laura Overdeck. "To give our kids that freedom they crave, we need to build strong, safe communities, and that's exactly the Junior League mission." 

The Junior League will also host a social event at 7 p.m., just prior to Skenazy's 7:30 p.m. talk.

South Mountain receives grant for fifth-grade trip

South Mountain Elementary School fifth graders received a check for $750 from Gary Diratsaoglu of Exxon Mobile/G&V Car Care in South Orange. Diratsaoglu partnered with South Mountain to obtain a grant from the Exxon/Mobil Education Alliance program to help fund a fifth-grade camping trip in the spring. Students, teachers and parent chaperones will use the camping experience for team building as well as social and recreational activities.