As the weather finally starts to cool down, we’re entering my all-time favorite time of year to go camping and have family cook-outs. Today, we are so lucky to have the amazing Julia from Culinatour here with her tips on how to make camp cookouts with kids fun and fuss-free. Julia is not only a mom, but she runs a business all about helping families eat delicious and healthy food while outdoors and exploring the world! Talk about my dream job…I can’t believe I didn’t think of this first!
Mmmm…camp food. Those two words make my heart sing with joy!
There’s something about outdoor cooking that adds a whole new flavor to food, right? As an outdoor adventure-loving mom, I’m constantly on a mission of sorts to pass on this love to my daughter. She may be just 2 years old, but that’s not going to stop me from equipping her with culinary skills. If, like me, you’d love your kids to be enthusiastic about outdoor cooking when you go camping the next time, you’re going to love this post.
Why teach outdoor cooking to kids
First, let’s look at why children of all ages can (and should!) learn outdoor cooking.
- Increase self-sufficiency: When you know how to cook, you know you’ll never starve. Right? Equipping your kids with outdoor cooking skills gives them a solid head start on their self-sufficiency quotient.
- Add more fun to family travel: Family travel is all about enjoying activities and time together. There’s nothing better than getting everyone involved in cutting, chopping, stirring and sautéing. Cooking is a fun bonding activity and perfect for when you’re traveling.
- Encourage responsibility: When you assign a meal to a young chef, you’re instilling incredible responsibility in them. Even if it’s something as small as an evening snack, you’re sending a positive message to your child about your belief in their abilities to do the work and contribute to the family.
- Foster creativity: Cooking is the ultimate art form and a fabulous way to foster creative thinking in kids. Let them use their imagination when plating a dish or even tweaking a recipe and enjoy their creative culinary experiments!
- Excellent all-round education: Cooking is a great way to learn and master concepts for math, science and comprehension. That’s right. Reading and understanding a recipe is comprehension; making sense of measurements and portions is all about math; and, the process of cooking is the best way to learn about science! Plus, when you cook outdoors, you can teach the kids about foraging and plants as well!
Tips for enjoying outdoor cooking with kids
Now that I’ve sold you on the importance of teaching kids the art of outdoor cooking, let’s look at how you can get started without getting stressed (or umm… screaming your head off at them)! Yeah, mamas can have meltdowns, too!
1. Plan to succeed
The first and most important part is planning your camp meals. Sit down with the kids and involve them in deciding what you’ll make for the different meals.
If you have kids of different ages, let the younger ones pick snacks which are usually the easiest and encourage the older ones to decide on the major meals.
Cookbooks are a great way to make this process interactive and fun. For instance, I have Luisa sit with me and go through the photos in my cookbooks. She chooses her favorites and we menu plan together.
2. Shop before you chop
Once you’ve made your menu plans for your camping and outdoor adventure trip, it’s time to make a shopping list. Involve kids of all ages in the shopping process as well.
If you have older kids, then you can definitely send them off to the supermarket with a shopping list. For younger kids, take them with you to the store and encourage them to help you pick the produce and food products.
Since Luisa is 2 years old, this works best with picture cards. Before we go to the supermarket, I make a set of picture cards showing some of the key ingredients of the foods we plan to make at camp. I hand her one card at a time and then, help her find the ingredient. It’s like a mini foodie treasure hunt for her! SO much fun.
3. Prep work is key
Once you’re in your outdoor kitchen, get kids to help with food prep. Younger ones can help with washing the produce, lining up ingredients, measuring and counting. Older kids can help with chopping, peeling, dicing, grating, and slicing.
Be sure to pack kid-friendly chopping boards, knives, and graters. The Curious Chef makes a great set of kid-friendly cooking tools.
4. Kid-friendly recipes, for the win
If your kids are old enough, have a stash of kid-friendly recipes that your children can either make independently or with very little help from you. This is a step you may want to include when you’re doing the menu planning with your kid(s). Being able to contribute to the group will make your child feel both proud and helpful. And if they’ve made the recipe before and know what to do and how it’ll turn out, you’re setting them up for success.
Waffles are a family favorite for our camping trips so I have an easy orange waffle recipe that Luisa helps me mix. Need more inspiration? I got you covered. Check out these 8 campfire recipes that kids can make from the folks at Active Kids.
5. Yes, we did start the fire
You may not want to involve young kids in lighting the campfire but you can definitely get them to help collect and pile up the kindling. It’s a great physical activity and gets them involved with the cooking process. Older kids will love helping to select your fire site, digging the fire pit, lining it with stones and collecting wood and kindling.
6. Messes are welcome
Remember, when kids cook, messes will happen. Don’t stress about it and definitely don’t tell them to not make a mess because you’ll only curb their enthusiasm and creativity. Yes, I know that easier said than done, but trust me on this one.
Instead, make cleaning up any mess their responsibility as well so they know that if they spill, they wipe up!
Having said that, one of the joys of outdoor cooking is that the mess doesn’t hurt since the ground soaks up the liquids. Win-win!
7. Service, please!
Finally, don’t forget to involve kids in serving the food as well. Your kids will be proud of the food they cook. so allow them the opportunity to help dish and serve it. They can answer questions about ingredients and the cooking process. Cheer them on when they hand out their dishes and encourage them to get creative with the plating. My daughter Luisa beams like a ray of sunshine when we ask her to serve the food and share with others. It’s a wonderful way to allow kids to give the gift of service and sustenance to those they love.
Cooking with kids
Outdoor cooking is a wonderful activity for the whole family. Get your babies involved in outdoor cooking right from the start without fretting or fussing over them. You’ll be amazed at how much they enjoy it, how much they learn and how proud they are of their creations. Not to mention how wonderful you will feel when you don’t have to worry about cooking breakfast or dinner!
Do you cook with your kids when camping?
Share YOUR best tips with me in the comments below!
Julia is an outdoor culinary business consultant based in Frankfurt, Germany. She is super passionate about spending time outdoors with her loved ones. She’s made it her mission to help families worry less and enjoy more when it comes to traveling and eating outdoors.
You can check out Julia’s website and blog on https://culinatour.com or find out more about Culinatour by visiting Julia on Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest