Follow @Project_CHEF

 

"I realized that cooking was as fun as playing on the computer! I will help my mom cook at home. I will teach her how to hold a knife properly and some other tricks too!"

-Grade 4 Student

“Hands-on, authentic experience combined with high-level content and resources make this an outstanding learning program for all students (parents and teachers too!)

- School Administrator

 

"I came in on Monday and Friday and noticed a huge difference in autonomy with the kids. Listening to my son and his friends chat about this experience has been fun in itself. There is a huge level of enthusiasm and satisfaction (and this from a table of boys). I love that kids are getting reconnected to their food. Lives are busy and families rarely have time to reflect on where food comes from and what goes into it.”

- Parent

 

“I liked the food because it tastes really good but knowing that we cooked it ourselves makes it taste even better."

- Grade 5 Student

 

”Not only did Project CHEF teach about nutrition and healthy eating, it was presented in a way that simply made preparing food fun! Whether you were a child or an adult in this program, you went home wanting to cook! The classroom was wonderfully transformed into a cooking studio.”

- Parent

 

“The program is fun and exciting for young children but as an adult it’s also been interesting and helpful for me too.”

- Parent

"The program is inclusive. I really appreciate that they can accommodate allergies and other food restrictions with a selection of menu options. The teaching is excellent: well managed and organized and keeps the kids engaged. It teaches not just cooking skills but also safety, nutrition, table setting, clean up, table manners, and the value of reading labels and eating locally. The program gets children excited about cooking and trying new foods."

-Teacher

"Food is a lot more important now."

-Student

 

 

Resources

Websites worth investigating: Healthy Families BC Act Now BC Action Schools Agriculture in the Classroom BC Dairy Foundation BC Ministry of Education perfomance Standards for Healthy Living BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport (Healthy Eating Resources) Better Together Canada’s Food Guide Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education Canadian Produce Marketing Board Centre for Ecoliteracy Cornell Farm to School Directorate of Agencies for School Health (DASH) Edible Schoolyard Epicurious: recipes, articles, tips and links Farm to School BC Feed Me Better / Jamie Oliver   The Food Studies Institute Health Canada Heart and Stroke Foundation Lunch Lessons, Chef Ann Cooper Making it Happen: Healthy Eating at School Mission Nutrition Program School Lunch Initiative Slow Food USA

A few of the books we use:

• On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Harold McGee, Simon and Schuster, 2004
• What Einstein Told His Cook, Robert L. Wolke, W.W. Norton and Co., 2002 (also What Einstein Told His Cook 2, 2005)
• Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser, Houghton Mifflin, 2001
• Chew On This, Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson, Houghton Mifflin, 2006 (young readers version of Fast Food Nation)
• Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children, Ann Cooper and Lisa M. Holmes, Collins, 2006
• What To Eat, Marion Nestle, North Point Press, 2006
• In Defence of Food, Michael Pollan, Penguin Press, 2008
• The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat, Young Readers Addition, Michael Pollan, Dial Books, 2009
• Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, Michael Pollan, Penguin Books, 2009
• Why Shouldn't I Eat Junk Food, Kate Knighton, Usborne Publishing Ltd, 2008
• Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, Peter Menzel and Faith d'Aluisio , Ten Speed Press, 2005
• Food Lover's Companion, Sharon Tyler Herbst, Barron's Educational Series, 2001
• "Grow BC" A Guide to BC's Agriculture Resources, The British Columbia Agriculture In the Classroom Foundation, 2002

A few food-related books for children that can be used for many classroom activities:

• The World In Your Lunch Box: The Wacky History and Weird Science of Everyday Foods, Claire Eamer, Annick Press, 2012
• What’s For Lunch: How Schoolchildren Eat Around the World, Andrea Curtis, Red Deer Press, 2012
• Food for Thought, The Stories Behind the Things We Eat, Ken Robbins, Roaring Brook Press, 2009
• I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato, Lauren Child, Candlewick Press, 2003
• Food Play, Saxton Freymann, Joost Elffers, Chronicle Books, 2006
• How Are You Peeling?  Foods With Moods, Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers, Scholastic, 1999
• Everything on a Waffle, Polly Horvath, Douglas and McIntyre, 2001
• Chicks and Salsa, Aaron Reynolds and Paulette Bogan, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2007
• Duck Soup, Jackie Urbanovic, Harper Collins, 2008
• Fairy Tale Feasts, Jane Yolen, Heidi Stemple, Philippe Beha, Tradewind Books, 2006
• Alligator Arrived with Apples: A Potluck Alphabet Feast, Crescent Dragonwagon, Macmillan Publishing Co., 1987
• Alfalfabet A to Z: The Wonderful Words for Agriculture, Carol Watterson and Michela Sorrentino, BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, 2009
• Compost Stew, An A to Z Recipe for the Earth, Mary McKenna Siddals, Tricycle Press, 2010
• Everybody Cooks Rice, Norah Dooley, Carolrhoda Books, 1991
• Pumpkin Soup, Helen Cooper, Picture Corgi Book, 1999
• Rah, Rah, Radishes! A Vegetable Chant, April Pulley Sayre, Beach Lane Books, 2011
• To Market, To Market, Nikki McClure, Abrams, 2011
• Memories of a Farm Kitchen, Bob Artley and Rob Artley, Pelican Publishing Co, 2010
• Up We Grow! A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farm, Deborah Hodge, Kids Can Press 2010, also Watch Me Grow! A Down-to-Earth Look at Growing Food in the City, 2011
• Series: Green Beans, Potatoes, and Even Tomatoes; Apples Cherries, Red Raspberries; Yogurt and Cheeses and Ice Cream That Pleases; Oils (Just a Bit) to Keep Your Body Fit; Black Beans and Lamb, Poached Eggs and Ham; Macaroni and Rice and Bread by the Slice, Brian P. Cleary, Millbrook Press, 2011
• Adventures of Cow Too, by Cow, as told to Lori Kolchak, Tricycle Press, 2007
• Applesauce Season, Eden Ross Lipson, Roaring Brook Press, 2009
• I Do Not Eat the Colour Green, Lynne Richards, Hodder Children’s Books, 2010
• The Sandwich Swap, Her Majesty Queen Rania with Kelly DiPucchio,Hyperion Books, 2010
• Suzie’s Sourdough Circus, Kathy Sager, Lost Moose, 2011

 

Some recipe books for children and families we like:

• The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal At A Time, Laurie David, Grand Central Life and Style, 2010
• The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook. Elizabeth Baird, Random House, 2001
• Kitchen Garden Cooking with Kids, Stephanie Alexander, Penguin Group (Australia), 2006
• The Spatulatta Cookbook, Isabella and Olivia Gerasole, Scholastic, 2007.  The book and accompanying website, www.spatulatta.com , are recipes for kids, by kids
• The Good Food Book for Families, Brenda Bradshaw and Cheryl Mutch, Random House Canada, 2008
• Good Food to Go: Healthy Lunches Your Kids Will Love, Brenda Bradshaw and Cheryl Mutch, Random House Canada, 2011
• Fanny at Chez Panisse, Alice Waters, Harper Perennial, 1992
• Pretend Soup, Molly Katzen, Tricycle Press, 1994 (Also Honest Pretzels, 1999, Salad People, 2005)
• Knead It, Punch It, Bake It, Judith and Evan Jones, Houghton Mifflin, 1998
• The Kids Can Press Jumbo Cookbook, Judy Gillies, Kids Can Press, 2000
• Veggie Kids, Roz Denny, Southwater, 2002
• Many Hands: Community Kitchens Share Their Best, Community Kitchens Publishing, 2005
• The Healthy Lunchbox, Marie McClendon and Cristy Shauck, Small Steps Press, 2005
• 52 Brilliant Ideas For Raising a Healthy Eater, Mandy Francis, Penguin Group, 2006
• Chef Bobo’s Good Food Cookbook, Robert Surles, Meredith Books, 2004
• Family Table: Recipes and Strategies, Marie Breton and Isabelle Edmond, Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2008
• Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon, New Trends Publishing Inc., 1999
• The Supper Club: Kid-Friendly Meals the Whole Family will Love, Susie Cover, Weldon Owen, 2011
• Bake Better Bites: Recipes and Tips for Healthier Baked Goods, Dietitians of Canada, download from www.dialadietition.org - Tips and Recipes for Quantity Cooking: Nourishing Minds and Bodies, Dietitians of Canada, 2009, download at www.healthyeatingatschool.ca