Cooking Party

If your family is like our friends at What’s Cooking’s families, you have been to more gymnastics birthday parties than you can count. When it is time to think of a party for your own kids, it is easy to fall back on the familiar, but why not consider trying something different and perhaps less expensive? What about a birthday party where the kids learn something, get to be creative, and have fun all at the same time?

Cooking parties are gaining popularity, and for obvious reasons. Almost anyone who has cooked with kids can attest that those who help in the kitchen are better eaters and are more enthusiastic about trying new foods. And if dinner time is a challenge in your house, I bet you’re up for anything that improves the mood at your table!

Here are a few simple tips to help your cooking party be a success:

· Limit your guests to the number that can comfortably work at your kitchen/dining room table or kitchen counters.

· If you are cooking at a table, use a tablecloth for easy cleanup.

· Make sure tools and ingredients are in a convenient location where the children can reach them. If any of your tools may be distracting, don’t make them available until the children need to use them.

· Depending on the age of the children at your party, it may be best for the kids to make their own servings of food (this keeps germs out and allows the kids to customize their food based on their own preferences).

· If you are baking customized foods, line your trays with foil and write the children’s names near their food with a Sharpie marker. That way, each child gets his or her own creation instead of someone else’s.

· If cooking is the party’s main activity, don’t buy pre-shredded cheese or carrots—let the children do the work and have the fun!

· Have lots of food options, toppings, and condiments available. Give the children the freedom to add a variety of ingredients to whatever they’re making (lasagna or tacos, for example). Some will surprise you with their sense of adventure, and that might inspire their friends, too!

What’s Cooking makes your cooking party for kids even easier: They carry cooking birthday party invitations and party favors! And check out the What’s Cooking Blog for great ideas for cooking with kids for a better body, planet, and community!

Other ideas for your cooking party include:

• Have a “guess the spice” contest. Bring out twenty different spice samples, and have the kids taste them and guess what spices they are. You can give hints or have a bank of answers for the kids to choose from.
• Have a “guess the utensil” contest. Wrap various kitchen utensils in cloth, and have each kid choose one and guess what it is. If the kid doesn’t guess correctly, have the next guest feel the utensil and take a guess. The person who guesses correctly can either keep the utensil as a prize or win a different prize.
• Bake batches of cookies and cupcakes and make ice cream sundaes. If you choose to make pizza or pasta for the meal, have the kids decorate the sweet treats while they wait for the meal to be prepared. This seems like it would work really well from a timing perspective.
• You could also have the kids make their own pizzas or tacos.
• Give the kids aprons and chef’s hats when they arrive at the party. They can cook in these and take them home as favors.
• Other favors could include cookie cutters, rolling pins, and recipe cards wrapped in gingham towels. The kids could also make placemats at the party and take them home at the end of the day.