History

OSU Cooking with Kids has gone through many forms, but its core goals have always remained the same:

• to increase children’s intake of fruits, vegetables, and other healthy options
• to increase the number of meals prepared for and by children
• to change children’s attitudes towards cooking, eating, and taking care of themselves

Our cooking program began in 2006 when Michael Beets, a doctoral student studying public health at Oregon State University, began searching for a research opportunity. KidSpirit, a popular children’s program that provides activities for children and experience for students, was an obvious choice to partner with and produce Culinary Camp. This camp ran for three sessions, or six weeks. Every Wednesday, the campers and counselors rode their bikes to a different location to learn about healthy eating, such as to grocery store to read nutrition labels and purchase ingredients at the grocery store, or to the farmer’s market to learn about locally-grown foods.

Following the success of Culinary Camp, KidSpirit has continued offering health & cooking classes for children. We understand that children must learn to take care of themselves and develop healthy habits early in order to become healthy adults.

Our Classes

Chefs in Motion is a program to promote the dietary and physical health of children. By both cooking and running, participants in 3rd-5th grade (8-10)  learn how to make good lifestyle choices and good meals. This class runs during the school year and also as part of the Summer Day Camp.

Future Iron Chefs also promotes healthy living and cooking, but it focuses on the culinary by teaching a wide variety techniques, plating and presentation, food handling safety, recipe preparation,and nutrition. This class serves children in middle school (11-14).

KidSpirit is also partnering with the Linus Pauling Institute to offer Cooking Fun & Play. Like our other programs, this class will help children feel comfortable preparing their own food, empowering them to make healthy choices. Half the class is spent on exercise, through swim lessons and playing games, and the other half is spent learning culinary skills and preparing meals. Children in two age groups—3rd to 5th graders and 6th to 8th graders—come to Cooking Fun & Play after school four times a week.

During KidSpirit’s Summer Day Camp, Chefs in Motion, Future Iron Chefs, and Jr. Chefs (for early elementary-age children) are all popular options. Children make and eat their own food every day and also learn the basics of food preparation, from safety in the kitchen to table etiquette, marinating to preparing a meal with a spectrum of healthy foods.