About De Kooktas
Did you know that cooking together can play an important role in the brain development of young children? Given that these types of activities develop the elements we call the Fabulous 15, we initiated this project called ‘De Kooktas’. It consists of a bag with a specific recipe, including all the necessary ingredients, as well as tips and tricks to involve children in supportive and meaningful ways. With De Kooktas, you are not only preparing a delicious meal together, but you are also spending time on a fun and developmental activity, which your children between 2.5 to 6 years old will benefit from their whole lives.
“The brain of a young child is extremely susceptible to development, especially during the first six years. New skills that are activated in the neocortex are strengthened and stabilized through repetition. This phase lays the foundation of all further development of a child. That is the main reason to start focusing on the key aspects of the brain at a very young age.” - Raheena Doekhie, founder of ‘De Kooktas’
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Sensory development
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Young children use all of their five senses to connect with the outside world: they see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. By cooking with kids, they develop their sensory experiences. They learn to differentiate colors, begin to sense the difference between coarse and smooth ingredients, and learn to recognize various tastes and smells. Each one is an important bridge with which children are able to connect their inside and outside worlds.
Additionally, love, attention and respect are things that children discover with their senses. Cooking together is spending quality time with each other and discovering new things together. When love is combined with knowledge, your relationship with a child as parent or caregiver is elevated to a higher level. The upbringing takes on a method that aids in the development and empowers the brain and inner strength of the young child. With the right ingredients, cooking becomes a huge, educational, and exciting adventure.
Motor skill development
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Activities in the kitchen offer the opportunity to stimulate the senses and integrate the development of gross and fine motor skills. Alongside cooking with and for each other, you are also communicating, cleaning the kitchen, and setting the table together. Many opportunities arise that can be taken advantage of and developed. De Kooktas wants parents and caregivers to see kitchen activities in a new light, i.e., focusing on a child’s development.
A few examples:
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Separating an egg stimulates fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, language skills (naming the different parts of the egg), as well as feeling, seeing, and smelling the egg. The effects of strong fine motor skills, good eye-hand coordination, and an excellent vocabulary, are also noticeable in early writing.
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Setting the table isn’t just a chore, but it’s learning to follow fixed procedures. It can, for instance, be utilized when counting silverware and dinnerware, which is then placed in its correct location on the table. For a child, this all contributes to a feeling of belonging, independence, and self-reliance.
In short, the mental foundation we would all desire for young children!
Who can use De Kooktas?
De Kooktas is aimed at young children (2.5 - 6 years old) and their parents, caregivers and educators. Some examples are remedial educators, or workers in special education, nurseries, and schools where De Kooktas can be used.
What makes
De Kooktas unique?
At first glance, De Kooktas just looks like a paper bag with several ingredients. But De Kooktas offers much more than a tasty meal. It is a means by which an adult can discover a child’s potential and stimulate the brain’s development intentionally. The child is supervised during the preparation of the meal and by participating in the activities, the susceptible parts of his/her brain are strengthened.
“The different parts of the brain will first have to develop individually before they can collaborate effectively. De Kooktas fosters this process.” - Raheena Doekhie, founder of ‘De Kooktas’
De Kooktas wants to assist parents and caregivers with a child’s development right from their kitchen, and strives to demonstrate the value that can be found in the right environment. The end result is a tasty meal you prepare together. But it is really about how much the experiences a child has with their parent or caregiver contribute to the Fabulous 15.
What’s in De Kooktas
De Kooktas is a generous bag loaded with a recipe card, all the necessary ingredients, and a description with additional explanations and tips for the adult on how to support the children and assist them in learning and understanding as much as possible.
Many recipes are available:
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Nutcracker
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Sieving flour
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Grinding coffee
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Apple crumble
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Apple cakes
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Chocolate spread
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Bojo