Children can benefit from learning good food preparation habits and skills early on. Teaching kids about food preparation early can help instill healthy eating habits and an interest in the culinary arts that last a lifetime.
Choose An Age Group
What you teach and how you teach it will be most influenced by the age of your students. You won’t want to try teach teaching the finer points of making the perfect crepe to five year old kids. Teenagers would be less than impressed with filling celery sticks with peanut butter. Narrow down your age range first.
Choose A Focus
Of course the focus is cooking, but which specific focus will you choose? Will you focus on healthy snacks, quick and easy meals or foods from around the world? There are so many wonderful subjects—choose one that inspires your creativity.
Plan Your Class Schedule
How many sessions will each class require? Will you have students sign up for one session at a time or perhaps a series? How long will each session last? Think about things like set up, classroom instruction, clean up, one-on-one instruction and the time it will take to fully prepare each planned dish to make a schedule that works.
Find A Venue
You should strongly consider finding a venue other than your own home. It may not even be legal to teach courses in your own home in your state. You may find a local community center, school or culinary college with the necessary equipment and space for your class. Factor in the cost of renting the space.
Determine Costs
First, add up the costs of renting the space, commuting to the venue and the materials for each class. Consider the amount of time you’ll spend teaching. Decide how many students you want, both the minimum and the maximum, for each session. Then, calculate the cost per student.
Advertise Your Class
Advertise your class, along with sign-up sheets and contact information. Include a parental permission slip. Prepare thoroughly before each class session, making certain you have all of the required materials on hand.
Jane Dixon
