Trade Screens for Hands-on Learning!

• ​​​​​​​Q: Why don’t programmers like picnics? A: Too many bugs!
• Knock, knock. Who's there? Peas. Peas who? ​​​​​​​Peas tell me you're ready to cook instead of watching that screen!

Jokes aside, if you’re raising kids right now, you’re all too familiar with the ongoing battle against screens. Screens are everywhere, and kids drift toward them like hands to a bowl of chips. Fortunately, there are alternatives to keeping kids engaged and connected. One option is Sticky Fingers Cooking® classes and camps.

Why Cooking Draws Kids In

When kids cook, they’re actively engaged in hands-on learning. And when kids’ hands are busy, their brains are lit up… they’re not thinking about screens at all.

Instead, they’re:

• Measuring ingredients (hello, fractions!)
• Counting scoops (and doing lots more math!)
• Timing how long something simmers or bakes
• Following steps so the recipe actually works
• Using all their senses—smelling, tasting, touching, listening

Real Cooking – From Scratch

Scratch cooking requires kids to slow down and chop, stir, taste, and adjust. This matters in a world where so much of kids’ days are digital and instantaneous. Besides building skills that they can keep for a lifetime, their efforts are rewarded with dishes they can eat and share.

Also, when kids cook from scratch:

• They see what’s in their food (real ingredients, no mystery powders).
• They feel competent + proud of making an entire dish or meal from start to finish.
• They are more likely to try the food because they cooked it.

Learning Baked into Every Lesson

Kids think they’re just making pancakes. We know they’re also practicing focus, problem-solving, and a slew of other academic skills. Such as:

• Science: Why bread rises, what heat does, how boiling works.
• Technology: Using timers and tools safely.
• Engineering: Building tacos so they don’t fall apart (important!).
• Art: Choosing colors, garnishes, and plating—that’s creativity and self-expression.
• Math: Fractions, doubling recipes, dividing portions.
• Literacy: Reading recipes, following instructions, learning new vocab like “zest” and “sauté!”
• Geography + Culture: Where dishes come from and how people eat and celebrate around the world.

Beyond Busywork – They’re Growing Confidence + Community

Cooking with other kids is its own little social-emotional workshop. When something goes “wrong” (spilled milk, for example), it’s a learning opportunity. That kind of low-stakes resilience is gold.

In every Sticky Fingers Cooking class kids get to:

• Take turns
• Share tools
• Help each other when someone spills or gets stuck
• Celebrate the final dish together

A Tiny “No-Screens” Challenge You Can Try at Home

You don’t need to run a full cooking class in your kitchen to bring some of this magic home. Here are three easy ideas:

1. Device Nap Time

Pick one meal a week when all devices (adults’ tools included) “take a nap” in another room.

2. Mini Chef Jobs​​​​​​​

Let kids choose a role before dinner:

• Little ones: tear lettuce, wash produce, sprinkle cheese.
• Older kids: measure, stir, set timers.

Confident readers: read the recipe aloud.

3. Add a Sticky Fingers Cooking Cookbook to Your Kitchen
Choose one or more from our growing collection!

These silly, joyful touches make cooking feel like play.

Ready to Trade Scrolls for Rolls?

Sticky Fingers Cooking classes and camps offer:

• Hands-on, from-scratch recipes
• Fun, global flavors
• Real-life skills

If you’d like a screen-free experience for your kid that you don’t have to orchestrate yourself, have them come cook with us! Sticky Fingers Cooking after-school cooking classes AND kids’ cooking camps are open for registration! ​​​​​​​

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