why vegetables?

Kid Kitchen was founded to help parents with picky eating. And time after time, veggies pop up as one of the things kiddos won’t eat. By bringing produce into the classroom, we provide additional exposures in a friendly environment where kids will often try the same veggies that they refuse at home.

why are children told they don’t have to try anything?

The end goal of Kid Kitchen is to help children become comfortable trying new foods, which is easiest when they’re feeling relaxed and unpressured. What’s more, we’ve seen this strategy work — say they don’t have to try and kids end up trying (reverse psychology much?).

The other mechanism at play is the body’s natural stress response. When feeling anxious or afraid (perhaps because an authority figure says you must try a “scary” food), a person’s body can have a fight, flight, or freeze response. When in this mode, the adrenal glands release adrenaline, which results in a lowered appetite and can make a person LESS likely to try anything new. For a more detailed explanation on how fight, flight, or freeze applies to picky eating, please check out this excellent article by Kids Eat In Color.

does Kid Kitchen use any recipes or cooking with heat?

Right now the focus is on play and child-led exploration instead of having to adhere to someone else’s recipe. There are no cooking rules to follow, other than to have fun!

As for cooking with heat, vegetables that require cooking can be prepared in advance. As for cooking more generally, children use their imaginations to come up with all sorts of dishes, from lettuce-wrapped tacos to chopped salads. They experiment to learn how different combinations and ratios taste, gaining the type of cooking knowledge that the world’s best chefs use every day.

what age group is the curriculum designed for?

Kid Kitchen is developed for ages 2—11.

what about allergies?

Another advantage of a program based around veggies is that it’s free of the most common allergens. We also ask parents to fill out a form indicating any allergies so we can make sure to avoid them.

do you teach about nutrition?

We think the best way to lead anyone to healthy eating is through experiencing great-tasting food and NOT through lectures on nutrition. With that said, our brief lessons include a few facts about the plants, from growing environments to how they’re often served and what a particular plant group does in the body. Then it’s time to play!

what if we have a school gardening program?

Kid Kitchen can incorporate whatever you’d like from your garden into the lessons, which are flexible based on what’s in season. We can also supplement with additional veggies from the grocery store and farmer’s market.