In 2014 Tops Day Nurseries launched Tops Cooking School. But what is the difference between Tops cooking School and general baking with the children? There is no stipulation in the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum that we should provide cooking or baking activities for the children, however, we recognise that cooking and baking are important skills for children to learn. All children that attend Tops Day Nurseries will have opportunities to take part in general baking activities to include, no added sugar cakes, biscuits, bread and flapjacks. During these baking activities, our main focus is to use the activity to develop a wider range of skills to include mathematics, communication, fine motor skills, understanding of health and social skills. The main focus isn’t on the end result and it may be that whilst the children are exploring and experimenting with the ingredients, that their end result is inedible. During Tops Cooking School, our intention is to actually teach the children how to cook a meal. The children are specifically taught what various cooking equipment is used for and they have the opportunities to develop a range of cooking skills including, kneading, whisking, chopping and grating. All children that take part in Tops cooking School will have a meal to take home with them. Learning how to prepare healthy meals is an important skill in life, and the earlier children start the better.
