Chinese Watercress!

I love doing food preparation activities with my kids because of some of these reasons:

1. My kids are truly engaged and excited about it.  For this reason alone, it is already half the battle.
2. There are so many lessons to learn from one activity (i.e. math, fine motor, sensory, organization, values, etc.).
3. It's an activity that both my kids (ages 4 and 2) could participate in, and learn from at their own level.
3. There is "fruit" to our labor--- we get dinner!

Today, we got stuck in traffic for a long time and it was 87 degrees out there! When we  finally arrived home,  I was having a splitting headache. I needed something to preoccupy my kids, and I needed to prepare for dinner.  It was one of those stressful afternoons for me....
So, I opened the refrigerator door and TA-DAH!  I found these beautiful Chinese Watercress! I put my kids to work! I took two big bowls out, and told my kids to pluck out the leaves from the stem.

From this food preparation experience, we learned:
1. Cooking: How to prepare Chinese Watercress.
2. Fine Motor: I always tell my kids to use their "helping hands".  I believe that one of the most important values I want to instill in my children is the ability to find purpose in what they do. And the purpose does not always have to be so big.  It may be as simple as putting food at the table, or as big as making a difference in the world.  Our hands have to move with purpose.  They are ours to do good for ourselves and others.
3. Cooperative Work: I believe that allowing our children the opportunities to have shared experiences with their siblings or peers will encourages them to become more aware of others.  It will also encourage social interaction, communication, and promote a sense of purpose and unity.
 4. Sorting Skills: I have asked my kids to put all the leaves in the metal bowl, and all the stalks in the clear plastic bowl.  You can consider this a "math" skill, or an organization skill.  Building organizational skills is a prerequisite to successful self-management and academic learning. 
5. Values:  When we sit together touching the plant, we learn to appreciate the food that is given to us.  We appreciate the people who grew them and brought them to us, and we appreciate nature that nurtures us.