Healthy Kids • YMCA Camps and Outdoor Education
Come See What's Cooking at YMCA Day Camps
15 July 2016 - by Elizabeth Burrows
Like many kids, Marcus loves helping out in the kitchen — so much so, in fact, that observing family members making food has inspired him to action. “My Dad loves to cook,” Marcus says, “so I want to learn too.”
This past week, the incredible culinary arts kitchen at Artscape Youngplace played host to Marcus and a group of campers from Toronto Shaw St. YMCA Day Camp — one of 10 YMCA cooking camps running this summer across the GTA.
With a full group this week, counsellor Roz planned a great assortment of cooking and baking activities that allowed campers to get hands-on experience in reading recipes, measuring ingredients, and using a wide variety of cooking skills.
On this week’s menu, a pasta and tomato sauce recipe taught campers the techniques of boiling and sautéing, while a tofu recipe was on offer to learn about marinating. Roz planned a balance of healthy and adventurous choices such as baked squash, as well as kid-friendly favourites including macaroni and cheese and banana boats. Every lesson includes a focus on safety in the kitchen.
For these campers, cooking is the perfect way to spend the day. Riel loves to cook and bake things, so the program was the perfect fit for her. She loved the fruit smoothies that they made earlier in the week. Campers like Molly, meanwhile, were inspired by the cooking they see on television. “I watch so many cooking shows,” she says. “I want to learn how to cook like the people on the shows.”
Every camper at YMCA of Greater Toronto cooking camps gets the chance to participate actively in cooking new recipes each day, and compiles their own recipe book to take home. With the hands-on experience of cooking their recipes, they can show their families what they have learned by cooking at home, using their personalized recipe books.
Toronto Shaw St. YMCA is one of 10 day camp locations across the GTA that offer Cooking Camp. For more information about our YMCA day camp cooking program, and other camp programs available at our 41 day camp locations this summer, visit our customizable online eGuide.
This past week, the incredible culinary arts kitchen at Artscape Youngplace played host to Marcus and a group of campers from Toronto Shaw St. YMCA Day Camp — one of 10 YMCA cooking camps running this summer across the GTA.
With a full group this week, counsellor Roz planned a great assortment of cooking and baking activities that allowed campers to get hands-on experience in reading recipes, measuring ingredients, and using a wide variety of cooking skills.
On this week’s menu, a pasta and tomato sauce recipe taught campers the techniques of boiling and sautéing, while a tofu recipe was on offer to learn about marinating. Roz planned a balance of healthy and adventurous choices such as baked squash, as well as kid-friendly favourites including macaroni and cheese and banana boats. Every lesson includes a focus on safety in the kitchen.
For these campers, cooking is the perfect way to spend the day. Riel loves to cook and bake things, so the program was the perfect fit for her. She loved the fruit smoothies that they made earlier in the week. Campers like Molly, meanwhile, were inspired by the cooking they see on television. “I watch so many cooking shows,” she says. “I want to learn how to cook like the people on the shows.”
Every camper at YMCA of Greater Toronto cooking camps gets the chance to participate actively in cooking new recipes each day, and compiles their own recipe book to take home. With the hands-on experience of cooking their recipes, they can show their families what they have learned by cooking at home, using their personalized recipe books.
Toronto Shaw St. YMCA is one of 10 day camp locations across the GTA that offer Cooking Camp. For more information about our YMCA day camp cooking program, and other camp programs available at our 41 day camp locations this summer, visit our customizable online eGuide.
