Although it may not make the standard list of back to school tips, teaching your children a little about cooking terminology is a great thing to do during the school year. It can be done without a lot of fuss, and you will enjoy the time spent together in the kitchen. Kids like to help, and they will be learning a bit about cooking at the same time.

Start out with something simple such as preparing snacks together. Many snacks are a matter of assembly rather than cooking, so it's a great way to get kids used to handling food. It can be a smart move to do the cutting or slicing yourself and have the kids do the putting together. Share some back to school tips for making lunches as well if you have the time.

When kids have mastered the basics you can move up to something more complicated, like helping with dinner. Once again, you'll probably want to have kids stay away from the stove and sharp objects, but they can make salads, set the table and fill water glasses. Talk them through what you are doing at the stove and use the terms that are in the directions so that they begin to get familiar with them. Beef, pork and chicken recipes all have their own "language" that kids will pick up if they have things explained to them.

Another great way to teach kids about cooking terms is to look through birthday cake recipes together. Pick one out that your child would like to try and talk them through the preparation. You can even shop for the ingredients together. Cookie and cake recipes provide good opportunities for children to learn, since they only require combining ingredients and mixing them together. If your child is old enough, you can even have them prepare their own cake mix while you supervise. Teach them the basic terms as you go along and have them explain things back to you so that you are sure they understand. You can also frost the cake together when it is finished.

If you spend a little time talking your kids through basic recipes, they will start to pick up the terminology and begin to learn more about cooking in general. Besides being a great educational experience, it can also be a lot of fun for both you and your child.

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