Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Washington, DC

My love of cooking is being handed down to Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer.  Captain Computer comes running from whatever corner of the house he is in when he hears me start my KitchenAid mixer.  Little Miss Techie can crack eggs like a pro.  Both have assigned spots in the kitchen to help with cooking projects and recently helped me make a great dinner of lentil soup and cornbread.

While I usually draw recipes from my collection of grown-up cookbooks, we also have a fairly large childrenâ??s cookbook selection.  Childrenâ??s cookbooks are great because they are easy to read and follow, with the recipes being ones that children naturally gravitate towards.  The pictures are delightful and the directions are easy enough for my toddler to understand.

I love cooking with my kids and have learned to love their messes and little fingers dipping into our recipes at every stage of cooking.  Cooking together allows them to take ownership over the food we are making and they always love trying the finished product at meal time. 

And not to mention the science and math skills involved- transforming ingredients into a finished dish and measurement!

Here are some of our favorite family cookbooks that we enjoy using:

Cookbooks by Mollie Katzen:

• Salad People
• Pretend Soup
• Honest Pretzels

Alice Watersâ?? Fanny at Chez Panisse

Annabel Karmelâ??s Mom and Me Cookbook

Betty Crocker's Kids Cook!


Happy cooking!