Get kids in the kitchen with you to help create more family time for all
By Nancy Ludwig, MS, RDN, LD, Head
Start Consulting Nutritionist
In my role as a consultant nutritionist
to Siletz Tribal Head Start, I offer infor-
mation for families. The experience of
kids in the kitchen has many benefits and
is an important key to health. What your
children can learn from cooking with you?
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When they are exposed to new tastes
and textures early on in life, they are
more likely to have a diverse palate
as an adult.
Parents can ensure their kids are getting
enough of their daily nutritional needs
through cooking at home with them.
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Education Benefits
Encourages a sense of creativity and
expression through the “artwork”
(food) they are creating, such as
arranging ingredients on a pizza
Learn an appreciation of food, through
smells, sounds, textures and tastes,
especially if they have been part of
making the meal
Increasing manual dexterity and
physical coordination
Basic mathematics skills like count-
ing and measuring
Reading skills from reading recipes
and directions
Science skills – observation abilities,
understanding of time/temperature
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Social Benefits
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Dinner conversation can help expand
a child’s vocabulary.
Kids feel like they are accomplishing
something and contributing to the
family.
Parents get to spend quality time with
their kids.
Kids aren’t in front of the TV or com-
puter while they’re cooking.
Learning to cook is a skill your chil-
dren can use for the rest of their lives.
They learn to respect their bodies by
having an awareness of what they are
putting into it.
Positive cooking experiences can help
build self-confidence.
Eating out less (therefore spending
less).
Involving kids in preparing meals is
a stepping-stone to getting them to
appreciate family meals. Because of
challenging work, school, social and
sports schedules, families rarely have
time to share mealtimes together.
Promotes teamwork.
Experiencing the joys of giving and
sharing.
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Parents serve as role models, letting
their children observe them enjoying
healthful foods.
Offering healthier, low-calorie foods
as well as less processed food.
Kids generally aren’t eating junk food
when they’re cooking a meal at home.
Location: Salem Area Office, 3160 Blos-
Kitchen skills that can be taught
to children of various ages
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Use a blender
Beat ingredients with a whisk
Grate cheese and vegetables
Measure liquid and dry ingredients
Follow a recipe
Use a timer
Robinson, 541-270-3212; or Selene
Rilatos 541-444-9618
som Drive NE, Suite 105, Salem, Ore.
Lunch will be provided
Parents/Guardians are welcome to
attend with youth
Transportation: Youth will carpool
from area offices. Contact us ASAP if you
need help with finding transportation.
Area Office Contact Numbers:
Portland: Katy Holland, 503-238-1512;
Salem: 503-390-9494; Eugene: Nora
Williams, 541-484-4234; Siletz: Sharla
6
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Siletz News
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Make things fun - theming food around
what is going on in children’s lives.
Make regular favorites healthier (i.e.,
cheesy chicken crunches instead of
deep fat fried chicken nuggets).
Teach children basic kitchen rules (no
handling knives, the stove or appli-
ances without adult supervision),
wash hands, food hygiene, roll up
your sleeves and tie back hair, turn pot
handles away from you, etc.
Have a reward system - at the end of
every week they get $5 to buy their
own kitchen utensil (own whisk, roll-
ing pin, etc.) to provide ownership and
accountability.
Laugh when things go wrong. Cook-
ing should be fun family time.
Teach children the food pyramid and
basic food groups, with recommended
daily servings.
Resources, recipes that can be
used with/for children
Siletz Tribal Head Start offers my
time at no cost to you to support family
nutrition over the telephone. Please con-
tact me if you have nutrition concerns
about your head start child.
Custom-made Bean Dip
Excellent for easy snacks, can be
custom-made for each person with just
what they like. Choose from the ideas
below and create your own dish. In an
individual microwave-safe bowl, layer your
choice of the following:
½-3/4 cups refried beans
1-4 tablespoons salsa of your choice
2-4 tablespoons cheddar cheese, shredded
or sliced, ½-1 ounce
To taste: Black olives, sliced; corn, frozen;
kidney or black beans; green chilies,
diced
Cover bowl and microwave until
cheese is melted and bubbly. (Beans can
explode sometimes; the cover protects the
microwave from mess.)
Top with other cold items if desired:
Green onions, sliced, fresh tomatoes; fresh
avocados, chopped; sour cream.
Surround with your favorite tortilla
chips or, as a grain-free alternative, use
sliced cucumbers or jicama.
Applications available for Tribal Head Start
Siletz Tribal Youth Council Meeting
Date/Time: March 12, Noon – 3 p.m.
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familyfun.go.com/recipes/kids
kids-cooking-activities.com/
spatulatta.com
homeandfamilynetwork.com/food/kids.
html
Nutrition Benefits
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Ways to involve children in
healthful food preparation
Youth Council Objective
The objectives of this group shall be
to provide a collective voice and represent
the Tribal youth in all matters that concern
them; to serve as a means of mobilizing
and coordinating the actions of youth,
other community members and organiza-
tions toward positive goals; to promote the
development of future Tribal leaders; to
help solve problems facing Tribal youth; to
coordinate school and community service
projects; and provide opportunities for the
youth to interact for fun and fellowship.
March 2016
If you have not sent in an application for your child to attend Siletz Tribal
Head Start, it’s not too late. Call 541-444-2532 or 800-922-1399 to request that an
application be sent to you.
Applications also are available on the Tribal website (ctsi.nsn.us) and at the Siletz,
Salem and Portland area offices.
NRCS releases native seed manual
for Pacific Northwest species
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The USDA’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) announces a new, comprehensive
manual now available to seed producers
(and seed enthusiasts) about native plant
species in the Pacific Northwest.
The publication, called the Native
Seed Production Manual for the Pacific
Northwest, was produced by the NRCS
Plant Materials Center in Corvallis.
“This 192-page manual is a compila-
tion of knowledge gained by Plant Materi-
als Center staff who have worked intimately
with native plant species for more than
two decades, since the early 1990s,” said
Amy Bartow, one of the manual’s primary
authors who works at the Corvallis center.
The Native Seed Production Man-
ual for the Pacific Northwest contains
detailed, species-specific information for
17 grasses, 60 forbs, and seven sedges
and rushes found throughout the Western
regions of Oregon and Washington.
It also contains information on all
aspects of seed production, from estab-
lishment and weed control to harvesting
and seed processing. The back section
features an equipment overview, which
explains the various types of equipment
used at the PMC.
The manual, along with many other
plant-related publications, is available on
the Corvallis PMC publications webpage
at: http://bit.ly/PMCPubs (look under the
Major Publications category on the list of
publication types). To access the manual
directly, visit this shortlink: http://bit.ly/
SeedGuide.
Printed copies are available on request
by emailing Amy Bartow at amy.bartow@
or.usda.gov.
The Corvallis Plant Materials Cen-
ter’s primary mission is to develop new
technology in plant propagation and
establishment, seed production, revegeta-
tion, and restoration and erosion control;
and to develop new plant sources for use
in riparian areas, wetlands and uplands.
The Corvallis center provides plant
solutions for northwestern California,
western Oregon and western Washington.
The service area includes the northern
Pacific Coast Range, Willamette Valley
and Puget Sound, as well as Olympic, Cas-
cade and Siskiyou mountains of western
Washington and Oregon.
The USDA Natural Resources Con-
servation Service provides financial and
technical assistance to voluntary farmers,
ranchers and forest landowners to imple-
ment conservation practices on private
lands. By working collectively with
partners and stakeholders, NRCS helps
maintain healthy and productive working
landscapes, benefitting both environmen-
tal and agricultural needs.
