Teachers, NJHKI Student Ambassadors, and little chefs celebrate their Kids Cook Monday event. On the far right is the classroom aero-garden.
Kid’s Cook Monday, Tuesday, and every day of the week! The Monday Campaigns came to the Culture of Health Academy at the Institute of Food, Nutrition, and Health to film a promotional video highlighting the collaboration among the Monday Campaigns, the New Jersey Healthy Kids Initiative (NJHKI) and the Center for Childhood Nutrition Research.
Research has shown that by teaching kids to cook, they shop differently, fill their plates differently, and consider the impact on their environment differently. Kids Cook Monday is a project developed by the Monday Campaign to encourage families to cook and eat together, and to kick that healthy habit off on a Monday – the day of the week that is most associated with starting and sustaining a healthy habit. Cooking dinner at home is associated with a healthier diet for the whole family.
Classroom teachers led 4-year-olds through a cooking lesson that included safe food handling and kid-friendly knife skills. With the support of Rutgers NJHKI Student Ambassadors, the little chefs participated in the preparation of a Caprese Salad that featured basil that was grown and picked from their classroom aero-garden, quinoa pasta, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. The children loved making and taste testing their creation – expressing their excitement to teach their families how to make the recipe at home. Thank you Kids Cook Monday for collaborating on such a fun event!
The Monday Campaigns is a non-profit public health initiative associated with Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and Syracuse universities that dedicates the first day of every week to health. Every Monday, individuals and organizations join together to commit to the healthy behaviors that can help end chronic preventable diseases.
