Parents take a break from cooking
Weledeh students independent in the kitchen

Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Mar 05/99) - Elementary students have been helping out more at home since they learned some valuable skills during a six- week program at Weledeh Catholic school.

Approximately 20 students from grades 3-6 have learned the finer points of cooking and grocery shopping after completing the Community Kitchen for Kids program. Although similar programs for adults have already been implemented in the North, the children's program was the first of its kind in the NWT, and is expected to catch on across the North.

The children chosen to participate in the program, which was funded jointly by the Health Canada and Environment Canada, were taped during their class for a video that will be distributed across the North to any school or community interested in starting up the program. The recipes used by the children are being compiled in a manual that will accompany the video.

The students who participated in the program headed into the kitchen at Weledeh school once a week, after regular classes, to learn skills they would be expected to show their families at supper time when they went home that evening. The students first prepared the meal in the school kitchen, then went home to test their cooking abilities on their families.

"Any ingredients and groceries (needed for the recipe), the child would take home and have the parent help them prepare it," said Stephanie Prpick-Boss, an instructor for the program and teacher at the school. "Some of the parents did comment that their children made most of it. The meals were simple enough for younger ages to cook it at home."

During the six-week course, students were taught other things besides how to cook.

"We learned to wash our hands before we cook and take off all our jewelry," said Monique Fournier, a student in the program.

Charlene Drygeese, who was familiar with the kitchen before taking the course, said it taught her how to make different meals.

"I learned to cook more things then just eggs and hotdogs," said Drygeese.

Prpick-Boss said the course covered a variety of information that would be useful not only to the Weledeh students, but to students across the North.

"The focus was safety in the kitchen, cleanliness, table manners and buying groceries that are healthy and accessible -- using things that are already in the cupboard or accessible for (Northern) families. Some communities may not have access to (certain food) or it is too expensive."

The video for the program was taped by students from St. Patrick high school enrolled in the Video Links program.

"Video Links has been taping us periodically during class and has done interviews," said Prpick-Boss. "That's completed now and they are just editing. We are hoping it will be done in two to three weeks."