Most kids love to help in the kitchen, especially with baking. Sure, it might take a little longer and end up being a bit messier, but it's a great opportunity for them to learn valuable life skills. And the holiday season is an ideal time to start.

With many families relying on packaged and convenience foods due to busy schedules, the practice of making meals and snacks from scratch is diminishing. However, what better way for parents and kids to spend quality time together while doing something healthy and educational?

Cooking educational
How can cooking be educational? Let me count the ways. First, measuring ingredients helps reinforce your child's basic math skills. Since recipes call for fractions and the ability to distinguish between different measurement tools (i.e., teaspoons versus tablespoons), kids not only get a sense of volume but also get to practise mental math.

Second, youngsters who help with meal preparation have a better appreciation for the effort - and ingredients - that go into creating healthy meals. Using whole fresh ingredients opens the door to a discussion about the benefits and properties of certain foods. Active involvement in the process of shopping and prepping encourages kids to try new foods. Cooking even helps kids to develop their creativity - cooking is not just a chore, after all.

Third, culinary experiences teach kids about nutrition, food safety and hygiene. They can learn the benefits of eating unprocessed foods made with wholesome ingredients. And it's a good opportunity to reinforce the importance of washing hands and handling food properly to prevent illness.

Easy to get volunteers
Delegate tasks to your kids according to age and level of difficulty. Younger kids, for instance, love stirring and adding ingredients. All kids love cracking eggs. Obviously, for safety reasons, only parents or older children should place food in hot ovens and use the stovetop.

Baking is a good place to start your child's training. Most kids love sweet treats, so it's usually easy to get volunteers to help with baking. Here are a couple of festive recipes from the winter chapter of my cookbook Thirteen Moons - Seasonal Recipes to Nourish and Inspire.

Louise Racine is a certified nutritional practitioner who operates Thirteen Moons Retreat near Norwood. To get more free recipes, email lunarnotes@thirteenmoons.ca and sign up for her monthly e-newsletter.

Ginger Cookies
These cookies are a crispy treat that will be warmly
welcomed by family, friends and teachers.

¾ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup unrefined brown sugar
1 egg
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2¼ cups spelt or unbleached all purpose flour
1½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
Raw sugar for garnish

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light. Add egg and molasses and blend in well. Add vanilla. (This can also be done in the food processor.)

In another bowl, mix flour with baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Quickly mix into wet mixture.

Shape dough into two logs about 2" wide and 8" long. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for a few hours until firm.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place sugar on plate. Slice logs into ¼-inch rounds. Press one side into sugar and place, sugar side up, on prepared baking sheet. Bake 11-12 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes 50 cookies.

Luscious Lava Cakes
Rich and runny with a deep, dark, delicious chocolate centre, these will be the hit at your next special event. You can make them ahead and freeze them before baking. If kids will be indulging in these treats, you might want to make them in mini muffin tins and reduce the baking time by about 5 minutes.

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup butter, cut into small pieces
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup raw sugar
¼ cup spelt or unbleached flour
6 chunks (about ½ oz each) semi-sweet or dark chocolate

In medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine chocolate and butter and place over pot of simmering water. Stir until just melted. Cool.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease 6 individual moulds (you can also use a muffin tin).

In large bowl, beat eggs and yolks with sugar for about 5 minutes or until thick and light coloured. Add cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Stir in flour. Beat until well blended.

Spoon batter into prepared moulds and place a piece of chocolate in the centre of each. You can bake them now or freeze for later.

Bake 14-16 minutes (16-20 minutes if frozen). They should be puffed but the centre should be soft. Carefully remove from pans and place right side up on a plate. Serves 6.