In the kitchen

The boy has been taking care of his own breakfast for a while now, often helping his little brother with his as well. He also washes fruit, peels vegetables, and makes toast with peanut butter.

Recently we've been working with him to increase his kitchen skills. Earlier this month he made us a delicious meal of fried egg & cheese sandwiches with a side salad. I sliced the cheese while he made the toast and fried the eggs (turning on the correct burner, buttering the pan, cracking the eggs into the pan, flipping the eggs, moving the cooked eggs onto the toast). We worked together on the salad and then everything was brought to the table for our meal. Delicious!

The next day, he saw me making fried mushrooms with toast for my own lunch. He doesn't usually eat mushrooms, but he thought my lunch smelled and looked yummy, so I told him there were more mushrooms in the fridge if he wanted to make his own. He turned on the correct burner, buttered the pan, sliced the mushrooms, stirred them around as they fried, made toast, then put it all on a plate when it was done.

Our next dinner was a simple spaghetti and pasta sauce meal, so I let him have at it again. He learned not to put an empty pot on a hot burner, but to put the water in first. He boiled the water, added the spaghetti, and warmed up the pre-made frozen pasta sauce in another pot. I began to set the table, but he promptly stopped me, insisting that he would take care of everything. He set the table for all of us, brought the jug of water over, and put the Parmesan cheese on the table. Simple skills, but a complete meal!

Next up: Pancakes from start to finish!

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Health: Nutrition
Social Studies: Responsibility