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ACGuide To Cooking With Kids
hildren may start their culinary illnesses. Make sure everyone involved in careers crafting mud pies in their cooking, including children, washes his backyards, but that creativity or her hands before cooking begins and
small rolling pins that are easy for kids to handle.
• Practice measuring together. Let children read the recipes and be in charge of portioning out ingredients. This reinforces classroom lessons about temperature, ratios and fractions.
• Move on to more sophisticated tasks.
Around age eight or nine, children can take on jobs like opening cans, scooping batter, pounding poultry, proofing yeast, skewering kabobs, and slicing bread, according to cooking educator Julie Negrin. Negrin notes that children between the ages of 10 and 12 can start working independently in the kitchen so long as an adult is in the home. Ultimately, children can cook without close supervision.
Children also can be involved in cooking by helping to draft shopping lists and taking trips to the supermarket. This shows kids the complete process of gathering ingredients for meals, what they cost and how they are made before foods make it to the dinner table.
to use the litter box.
• Ensure ample protection against the elements. Aging pets may feel the weather more than younger pets. They may need sweaters and coats or booties to protect their paws from the snow and ice. Cooling or heating mats may improve comfort indoors.
• Purchase animal diapers. Some senior pets may not be able to control themselves. Diapers and absorbent pads can keep them dry and prevent soiling around the house.
• Help the animal lose weight. Pets should maintain a healthy body weight, which can relieve pressure on joints and reduce risk for certain illnesses, including difficulty breathing and skin irritations. Speak with a veterinarian about the right foods and types of exercise for your pet to keep its weight in check.
Aging pets need extra patience and care. Pet owners can improve comfort and accessibility for their senior pets.
and imagination soon may translate into foods they can actually eat. Many kids love cooking because it can be fun and messy, which are two qualities that children find hard to resist.
Parents can foster their children’s love of cooking and help them along the way with these tips.
• Be patient. Going into the cooking experience knowing there will be a mess, typically when young children are involved, can help you prepare. Toddlers have not yet mastered manual dexterity, so they’re bound to spill and drop. Put a plastic tablecloth under the work area and on the floor to help catch what falls. Also, cooking with youngsters likely will take more time than it normally would, so set aside extra preparation and cooking time.
• Teach kids good hygiene. Hygiene is important and can prevent foodborne
P ets are valued members of many families, and their owners typically do everything they can to ensure
their furry friends live as comfortably as possible.
Care becomes even more important as pets get older. Just like people, aging pets may eat less and sleep more. They may have reduced stamina and even experience stiffness when getting up from sleep. Certain pets may experience failing eyesight, hearing loss and/or incontinence. According to an American Pet Products Association survey, 67 percent of U.S. households have a pet and will have to cope with that pet becoming a senior at some point. Senior animals might need a little extra help as they age, particularly with regard to comfort. These tips can help • Visit the vet more often. Senior pets may need to see the vet more frequently than they used to. Pets typically visit the vet every year. Senior pets may require two visits
continues to do so after handling foods, particularly raw meat and poultry. Hair should be tied back, and separate prep surfaces should be designated for produce and meats.
• Assign age-appropriate tasks. Consider age and maturity levels when assigning tasks in the kitchen. Even children as young as 3-years-old can chop food if they are provided a serrated butter knife with a rounded point and soft vegetables or fruits. This helps teach knife skills that kids can develop more thoroughly in the future. Children can mix and add ingredients as well. As kids get older, parents can decide the right time to let them use the stove.
• Experiment with dough. Kids can have a blast with dough, particularly rolling out pie crusts and pasta. They also can make dumplings and then fill them with vegetables. Many cookware retailers sell
per year. Speak with a veterinarian about how often your aging pet should come in for checkups. Checkups can help identify illnesses earlier and ensure any aches and pains are addressed immediately.
• Invest in comfort devices. Pets may need items that can accommodate aches and pains or other conditions. For example, aging pets may benefit from a high quality orthopedic pet bed. Pet strollers and raised food bowls also can make aging pets’ lives a little more comfortable.
• Address mobility issues. Aging pets may need help getting around. Non-skid carpet runners in high-traffic areas can help pets walk around securely. Steps or ramps can make it easier to get on or off beds or in and out of vehicles.
• Install doggie doors. Senior pets may need to relieve themselves more frequently. A doggy door can allow for faster access to the outdoors. Similarly, a litter box with a lower opening makes it easier for aging cats
Thanksgiving Weekend Travel Tips
T hanksgiving is on the horizon, and that’s welcome news to people who can’t wait to celebrate the holiday season with their loved ones. Though millions of people stayed home for Thanksgiving in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rising vaccination rates suggest the holiday travel season will be back in full
swing this November.
Uncertainty spurred by the Delta variant
may compel some people to stay home or delay making holiday travel plans. However, a recent survey from the vacation rental site Evolve found that 32 percent of travelers were not factoring the Delta variant into
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their travel plans at all. In addition, just under 47 percent of the more than 5,000 travelers surveyed months in advance of the holiday season indicated they would not consider canceling their trips until much closer to their departures. That data points to what could be a very unpredictable and busy holiday travel season.
With that unpredictability in mind, prospective travelers can consider these tips as they make plans to travel this Thanksgiving.
• Recognize the travel timeline might be different. The successful rollout of three COVID-19 vaccines has allowed life to return
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