Have Some Science for Dinner!
April 23, 2020
by Aaron Pflug • Kidzeum Staff
Well…let’s just say cooking at home is trending right now…
However, there are some real benefits to preparing meals at home! Of course, it is usually a cheaper option that allows for more control over quality and specific tastes. But, way beyond that, cooking at home provides the opportunity for everyone to participate in an educational activity together!
Yes! Educational. Virtually everything done to prepare, cook, and clean up after meals is chance to engage with and explore science!
Think about it:
- Mixtures and solutions abound in the kitchen! Is that soup a homogenous or heterogeneous mixture? What about the dish soap?!
- You could explore the savory (or sweet!) side of chemical reactions!
- If you have a convection oven, then you’ve got a great entry into a discussion about thermodynamics!
- Yeast and cheese can be great examples of or starting points for discussions about biochemistry and microbiology!
- And, how about baking in general?! You either need a healthy respect for chemistry or access to magic to pull this off!
Of course, that doesn’t even take into account all the science behind food and nutrition! Or the plethora of machines – simple and complex, alike – found in the kitchen! You could even just find yourself doing some science projects with stuff found in the kitchen!
Truly, every meal can be an opportunity to learn or explore something about science. A tasty opportunity, at that!
