| Cooking is an art as well as a necessity of our | | | | process. What is more is that they get to enjoy |
| lives. It can bring great joy to both the cook, as | | | | a tasty treat at the end of the process. |
| well as those who partake of the well-prepared | | | | Difficult chemistry concepts such as radiation, |
| meal and it can also be a valuable and nutritious | | | | convection, conduction, energy and carbohydrate |
| addition to our overall health and well being. One | | | | chemistry may seem overwhelming to many |
| might think that cooking and science have little in | | | | students, yet exploring and appreciating these |
| common, yet that is simply not true, as cooking | | | | science concepts during our food preparation can |
| offers a wide variety of opportunities to teach | | | | makes it a fun and exciting adventure. For a |
| science to our young. By sharing quality time | | | | start, one can study the various forms of heat |
| cooking with our children, they can learn valuable | | | | transfer and their different roles it play in the |
| lessons not only in the ethic of work and | | | | cooking process. With regard to specific foods, |
| responsibility but also in the area of science. | | | | milk and dairy products can be discussed as you |
| Experimenting In The Kitchen | | | | use them in your cooking, such as how the cows |
| Simple scientific experiments can be conducted | | | | produce milk, what milk is made of, the nutrients |
| within the comfortable confines of ones own | | | | within the milk and the difference between |
| kitchen and the end results can be edible! What an | | | | fermented and non-fermented products. |
| approach to science! Yet because the students | | | | Plants can also be easily incorporated into our |
| are learning in a comforting and enjoyable | | | | discussions. Cooking vegetables is a science itself. |
| atmosphere, it is not like the stifled book-learning | | | | Even preseving them, such as kimchi, is an |
| approach to science. Cooking offers the child a | | | | excellent introduction to food nutrition and |
| hands on and tangible experience, while at the | | | | preservation. By the way, talking about kimchi, in |
| same time teaching them a life skill they can use | | | | it lives a host of live organisms which one can |
| daily. Children from kindergarten to college can | | | | conduct experiments on. Moreover, it also gives |
| gain practical applications and life-long knowledge | | | | you an excellent opportunity to talk about Korean |
| by using this approach. Some example of fun | | | | culture and food. Concepts such as osmosis, pH |
| experiments parents can incorporate include | | | | value, density of the food, as well as dissecting |
| making candyfloss and ice cream. Making ice | | | | the vegetables to identify plant tissue and |
| cream, for example, allows the exploration of the | | | | structure can be explored too. |
| freezing point of matter. One can also talk about | | | | With the wide variety of creative ideas for |
| the role of temperature, whipping and foaming | | | | experimentation, the kitchen is a wonderful |
| during the process. Children can learn a wide range | | | | learning laboratory for people of all ages. |
| of science concepts while they enjoy the learning | | | | |