**Debate**.....compulsory cooking in schools?

[xrachx]

"From September 2008, secondary schools with cooking facilities will have to teach practical cookery to every 11- to 14-year-old. The remaining 15 per cent of schools without such facilities will be expected to teach the compulsory classes by 2011. Ed Balls, secretary of state for children, schools and families, explained the rationale for compulsory cookery lessons: ‘Teaching kids to cook healthy meals is an important way schools can help produce healthy adults.’ (1) Pupils will learn to cook a variety of dishes, including a ‘top eight’ of healthy recipes, officials said. Cookery is undoubtedly a worthwhile activity that should be passed down to the next generation, so why do Balls’ proposals sound more like a cause for indigestion than celebration?"


Well Morgan has been doing cooking in school recently and i think that both girls and boys should do cooking lessons and i am glad to hear its finally coming back! i think that the only way things are going to change is Education, Education, Education!
what do you think?
Do you think the time from the lessons should be used elswhere like more Physical Education?

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

oooh interesting debate topic

I done cookery at secondary school and I loved it!

We had a choice between Home Economics....which was cooking but also sewing, finances etc (the only thing that stands out in my memory apart from the cooking, is how to make the perfect kitchen layout making a triangle with the sink, fridge and cooker.....why that? lol)....and music.

I loved cooking, we made bolognaise, cheesecake, roast dinners, among other things and got to take what we cooked home with us

I think it is important, especially as most kids these days seem to live on junk food and convenience meals. And lets be honest, not many parents teach their kids to cook like they used to. If a child can learn about nutrition and how to cook a well balanced healthy meal, then yes I'm all for it!

 

[jenna]

i think its a good idea, i loved cooking at school. If it doesnt get into schools as a subject i think they should definatly let kids do it as an after school activity. I dont know what id do if i didnt know how to cook anything, i learnt a lot off my mum anyway but some kids dont even get that... they should have the option though.

 

[lozzi]

I think that it should be compulsary for cooking in schools!


How can we slate obesity in children and adults, if the kids arent taught how to cook healthily!?



In my school, in the first 3 years, you were taught how to make cakes, biscuits, popcorn and pizza and general CRAP really, then in Year 9 you chose which subjet from technology you wanted to choose.

I chose cooking as i love cooking, and it was only in the last two years they taught you about healthy eating and cooking.

Bear in mind less than a 1/4 took cooking... how many of the others arent going to appreciate hte benefits of cooking and eating healthily?!




So i think EVERYONE should learn healthy cooking and eating as a compulsery part of there schooling.

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

oooh just had another thought about it....with some of the top TV chefs being pretty cool these days, its a pretty good and "cool" career option for the less academic kids! It gives another career choice to think about aswell as teaching them some valuable life skills.

 

[Lou]

"From September 2008, secondary schools with cooking facilities will have to teach practical cookery to every 11- to 14-year-old. The remaining 15 per cent of schools without such facilities will be expected to teach the compulsory classes by 2011. Ed Balls, secretary of state for children, schools and families, explained the rationale for compulsory cookery lessons: ‘Teaching kids to cook healthy meals is an important way schools can help produce healthy adults.’ (1) Pupils will learn to cook a variety of dishes, including a ‘top eight’ of healthy recipes, officials said. Cookery is undoubtedly a worthwhile activity that should be passed down to the next generation, so why do Balls’ proposals sound more like a cause for indigestion than celebration?"


Well Morgan has been doing cooking in school recently and i think that both girls and boys should do cooking lessons and i am glad to hear its finally coming back! i think that the only way things are going to change is Education, Education, Education!
what do you think?
Do you think the time from the lessons should be used elswhere like more Physical Education?

I think its the parents that need the cookery lessons The kids don't do the food shopping and cook the meals. Maybe teach high school children the actual cooking side of it ready for when they go to college and leave home and teach the younger children about nutrition and have little cooking/tasting classes to introduce foods they might not eat at home and hopefully they will then encourage their parents to buy the food they wouldn't normally have.

 

[lozzi]

oooh just had another thought about it....with some of the top TV chefs being pretty cool these days, its a pretty good and "cool" career option for the less academic kids! It gives another career choice to think about aswell as teaching them some valuable life skills.

Was it jamie oliver who did crap at school and now he is a very famous chef!!!

 

[Tara & Liam]

I work in a secondary school and apparently we had a brand new cooking facility installed and then it was taken off the curriculum and the kitchen was made into a media suite, so god only knows where the cooking facility is going to go now.

and i cant believe that they are going to let some of the horrors in my school near electrical items that heat up !!!

 

[Emma58]

I definitely think it should be compulsory. I work in a secondary school and on the very rare occasion the kids get a chance to do cookery they love it (especially the boys).

Kids have too much convenience food to choose from and i'm sure they could get by without ever having to cook a meal from scratch and just open a packet or jar.

I regularly involve my son and stepson in cooking and they both love trying out recipes and making buns and things like that.

So yep I agree make it compulsory.

 

[lozzi]

I think its the parents that need the cookery lessons

Totally agree with that!!!!!



But these young adults, are the parents of the future, so they need teaching too.

 

[Krystal]

I agree, I loved cooking at school (when I wasn't getting told off for forgetting my ingredients )

Luckily my mam used to teach me how to cook at home and I was very independent but I know some of my friends haven't got a clue how to cook so they are living on freezer food or take aways No wonder we have a problem with obesity.

Only problem I have with cooking which is probably slightly off topic is the cost of fresh food and ingredients. I don't care what Jamie Oliver says, it does cost more to buy fresh ingredients for meals than it is to get frozen ready made food.

Cookery lessons are a good thing

 

[lozzi]

Only problem I have with cooking which is probably slightly off topic is the cost of fresh food and ingredients. I don't care what Jamie Oliver says, it does cost more to buy fresh ingredients for meals than it is to get frozen ready made food.

yeah, the cost is more in some cases i agree BUT


The taste is a million times better!!!

 

[xrachx]

We had a choice between Home Economics....which was cooking but also sewing, finances etc (the only thing that stands out in my memory apart from the cooking, is how to make the perfect kitchen layout making a triangle with the sink, fridge and cooker.....why that? lol)....and music.

lol i remember that triangle thing, i loved the home economics thing too with the sewing and stuff, i have always cooked with my kids from them being small, James (my eldest) went off to Uni last year and he knows how to cook but most importantly he can cook on a budget, he can make a Lasagne from scratch too and he is dead proud of that bless him but thats only because i have took the time and shown him how to do stuff, its the smae with the others, my second son is at college doing an NVQ in carering and food prep, and thats because he enjoys cooking at home, he wanted to do it full time, also i think that the importance of houskeeping, like ironing and how to use a washing machine and other stuff like that should be focused on too, all my kids know how to iron, call me old fashion but at least my kids will be able to look after themselves..

 

[lozzi]

James (my eldest) went off to Uni last year

I thought you were mid twenties!!!!!!!!! Ur never old enough to have a son at uni!!!!

 

[xrachx]

James (my eldest) went off to Uni last year

I thought you were mid twenties!!!!!!!!! Ur never old enough to have a son at uni!!!!

LOL...you are now my bnf!...(bestest new friend..lol)
I had him when i was 17, i do feel old when i think i have a boy at uni, one at college and a 13 year old, my step-daughter is 24, thats when i feel really ancient getting introduced as a step-mum!

 

[Lou]

I suppose it depends what age group we are talking about really aswell as a childs lifestyle. I wasn't allowed to make a cup of tea at home till I was at least 11 or 12 and I never had to make my own breakfast or help cook dinner. My mum always said I would have plenty of time to do cooking and chores when I was a mummy! (she was right of course ) My friend at school Jo had a disabled mum so she was made to do an awful lot of cooking and housework as a child. I think all children should learn food basics and healthy eating habits but its getting it through to the parents thats important. Maybe the children should be given food and cooking homework and made to try things at home. Something like a task of going to the supermarket with mum and having a list of foods to find and tick off. Or a home cooking task where all the children are given some ingredients then pick a recipe out of a cookery book and go home and cook it with their parents.

I don't know? Theres a million things that should be done and could be done but its whether parents want to change the way we all eat and nurture the next generation to eat better ot whether they want to be stuck in their ways and have the attitude 'it never did me any harm'

 

[Misslarue]

"From September 2008, secondary schools with cooking facilities will have to teach practical cookery to every 11- to 14-year-old. The remaining 15 per cent of schools without such facilities will be expected to teach the compulsory classes by 2011. Ed Balls, secretary of state for children, schools and families, explained the rationale for compulsory cookery lessons: ‘Teaching kids to cook healthy meals is an important way schools can help produce healthy adults.’ (1) Pupils will learn to cook a variety of dishes, including a ‘top eight’ of healthy recipes, officials said. Cookery is undoubtedly a worthwhile activity that should be passed down to the next generation, so why do Balls’ proposals sound more like a cause for indigestion than celebration?"


Well Morgan has been doing cooking in school recently and i think that both girls and boys should do cooking lessons and i am glad to hear its finally coming back! i think that the only way things are going to change is Education, Education, Education!
what do you think?
Do you think the time from the lessons should be used elswhere like more Physical Education?

Definately! I'm all for kids being taught how to cook healthy nutritious meals. PE is all well and good but a healthy blanced diet is also the key to wellbeing. I also like the idea that kids will be taught a basic life skill.

 

[Jo]

I think its a great idea, I loved Home Ec at school
Do you know what i think would be an even better idea though is to get paraents to go to school say once a month and cook healthy things with there children , I know it is not practical in every case but would give some parants a new outlook on food maybe

Another thing i think should be taught compulsary in schools is how to budget, manage household bills etc....

It could all be part of the same lesson really, choosing the foods etc...

 

[xrachx]

a few years ago the local surestart centre did a "healthy eating on a budget" course and they used to take their kids in every friday, cook with them and then all sit round a table and eat the meal they cooked, i think that would be a really good workshop to be introduced to the local schools, say once a month they could get the parents in and cook together.
well Morgan has done her Chicken curry, she just brought it home and she really tried and it tastes ok but she is a bit upset at the onions, the girl who was in charge of them burnt them, what did she say???

"omg! i cant believe she doesnt know how to cook an onion!"

 

[xrachx]

OMG you are not going to believe this.....
Morgan was jst saying that the cooking class was split into two and the other group was doing Cauliflower Cheese, sooo? i hear you say, well one of the girls from that group came to school with a Cabbage!...yes she thought it was a Cauliflower, she went to the shop this morning on her way to school and bought a Cabbage! i cant believe a 13 year old child doesnt know the difference between the two, that parent wants a good talking too.