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Like so many South Louisiana families, one of our favorite at-home activities on the weekends is cooking. Every Sunday night you can find my husband on the grill with an assortment of meats, and each time I start to bake you can guarantee that my girls will be by my side, aprons on and spatulas in hand. In addition to the fun we have, I have been amazed at the things they learn when we work in the kitchen as a family: how to plan, follow directions, share and take turns, patience, science (measuring, chemical reactions), and safety. Several years ago I started purchasing children's cookbooks with recipes they can prepare with healthy and kid-friendly ingredients. These cookbooks were a huge success and encouraged the girls to try all sorts of veggies and whole-grain snacks. Now my oldest sits by my side any time I pull out a cookbook, ready to see what we are planning next.

For families that want to give their young chefs a little more training or just have some fun, visit the Young Chefs Academy at 7970 Jefferson Hwy. They have a beautiful and clean, kid-friendly kitchen with very knowledgeable and helpful staff ready to bring out the creative side of your kitchen helper. My 5-year-old daughter attended a birthday party there a few weeks ago. The children each made pizzas from scratch and learned some valuable lessons about cleanliness, the importance of measuring precisely (which she now reminds me of at home!) and how delicious a homemade pizza tastes.

The weeks are flying by and we need to have these little ones ready to help us with the holiday baking, so check out the schedule of classes to see if your chef-in-training would enjoy the experience. We just might see you there!