You might be surprised by all the subjects you can teach in the kitchen!

There’s a moment when the kitchen is covered in flour from the floor to the tops of the cabinets that you wonder if all of this is really worth it. You may never figure out how or why, but there’s tomato on the ceiling and every knife handle is sticky … you know it would be easier to just cook the meals yourself.

But involving your kids in cooking is so much more than the messes that are made. Kids who practice preparing foods are more likely to eat fresh foods and more likely to try new food types, and there is little else that compares to the glow a kid has when they cook a meal their family enjoys.

The benefits of cooking with kids far outweigh the negatives. Bringing your kids into the kitchen teaches:

Math. Yes, you really can teach kids mathematics lessons through cooking. For example, knowing the difference between ½ cup and ¼ cup comes down to fractions – especially if you have to double or triple a recipe.

Science. Through cooking, your kids can understand chemical reactions in density, color, and temperature. What happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda? Why is yeast important for bread? Plan experiments alongside your meals and let kids try them out. A couple of our favorites are how salt makes homemade ice cream happen and making unicorn pasta by turning rice/glass noodles purple, pink, and blue with purple cabbage and different sauces.

Reading. If you’ve ever wondered how your kids are doing with critical thinking and attention-to-detail, hand them a recipe. Paying attention to the difference between one teaspoon and one tablespoon or baking soda vs. baking powder are good ways to practice double checking and getting the details right with visible (and palatable) results.

Where food comes from. What does a potato look like when it isn’t mashed? What parts of an onion are edible? Wait, rice is crunchy?

Culture. Why do Italian recipes have so much pasta while Chinese recipes have rice? What are the “three sisters” in Native American recipes? What do soups or breads or cakes look like around the world?

One of the great things about cooking is your family will learn through the process without worrying about any lesson plans. Cooking is learning that’s fun – and tasty at the end. You can push some of the lessons by making kids read recipes as they cook or do the math for measurements, but some of the things will still be surprising. My son won’t eat avocado – unless it’s in sushi; my daughter insists the only good way to eat sour cream is to make beef stroganoff.

Sometimes the recipes fail, and there’s a lesson in that too. Learning that sometimes you make a mistake or you don’t like the taste of something that looks delicious can be a challenge, even for adults. Knowing things don’t have to be perfect to be worth trying is a good lesson to learn young. (As an aside, that doesn’t mean you won’t sneakily shore up the edges of a pastry or tighten the twist on a bao bun when they aren’t looking to make sure they don’t fall apart while cooking – some things will just come with practice. My seven-year-old makes better bao buns than I do these days).

The lessons even extend to teens. Just because a 16-year-old can recreate a recipe doesn’t mean she knows the potatoes have to be pre-baked or boiled before they’re baked in the casserole. Asking for help is useful, no matter what age you are. And, yes, I still sometimes call my father and ask for advice or tips on making family recipes.

If the idea of cooking with your kids sounds overwhelming, you don’t need to run out and find equipment or buy out the grocery store. Start with one of two recipes. Make cookies or spaghetti – or even boxed cake or macaroni and cheese, where the ingredients are in pictures.

Oregon-based Food Hero is another great resource (see page 4). Food Hero is one of our go-tos for recipes because they always include ways that kids can participate – even from a young age. My youngest was tearing bread for fruity French toast casserole before she was two.

Among the dozens of recipes, my kids recommend:

Fruity French Toast Casserole with Fruit Smoothie or Yogurt Parfait

Skillet Mac & Cheese with Popeye Power Smoothie

One pan spaghetti (and watermelon cooler for dessert)

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Jennifer Colton is news director of KOHU and KQFM, and mother of three, based in Pendleton.