Outdoor Cooking with Kids

Does the blog post make you think we're going to be grilling on the back patio or roughing it with only sticks and burnt hot dogs smoldering over a fire in the middle of the woods?  Well, it could be either one, but hopefully we can find successful ways of teaching our children how to cook even when we're away from traditional cook surfaces.

My kids have learned that just because we're eating outside doesn't mean it has to come from take out and it doesn't have to be difficult.  Here's how we let the kids help out and have a full experience with outdoor cooking.

Meal Planning

I think we underestimate our children because we don't think they can plan a nutritious meal.  A little guidance may be necessary when first beginning this process.  But they are just as capable as anyone to tell you what they'd eat.  And whatever you make at home can certainly be made outside...you just might have to be a bit more creative.

Part of meal planning is trying to guess how much your family will eat.  If it's going to be a scorching hot day, the kids may not eat as much as if it were a cool autumn day in the park.  Also, if your kids are young, they will eat sporadically, their attention moving from food to surroundings and then back again.  Don't get frustrated.  They're learning how to focus and they can't take everything in like you can.

So once you know what the kids want to eat, you need to implement it somehow.

Outdoor Cooking Made Easy

There are so many resources available on the internet for outdoor and survival cooking.  How can I pick just one?  Let me give you two  that have really made our lives more simple as we try to teach our kids about living in the great outdoors.

Linda White has quite a few books that focus on children and enjoying nature.  We were especially impressed with her book Cooking On A Stick.  It had simple (and I mean it!) recipes like roasting hot dogs on a stick with a croissant wrapped around it.  If your child can hold a stick, they can cook their own dinner.  The book doesn't have just stick cooking recipes.  It also contains several recipes for trail mix, foil dinner pouches, and cooking on a grate or grill.  Ms. White has several other books devoted to children and camping.

If you want the foremost leader in outdoor cooking (the one the experts still refer to), check out Roughing It Easy by Dian Thomas.  She gets creative in her methods to survival living and there are some interesting recipes inside (I've always wanted to try frying eggs in a paper bag over a fire!).

Don't get freaked out that you need expensive equipment or exotic recipes.  Start simple and you can do it!  Feel free to post any recipes that have worked for your family so others can enjoy the great outdoors too.  Happy cooking!