Page 3 - TL Extra Feb 2017

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE TRI-LAKES EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
EXTRA FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017 • 3TT
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Pint-sized
CHEF
Showing children the way around the kitchen
By Spencer Griffin
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
At a young age, children — as well as parents on their behalf — are often on a search to see which activities and hobbies bring them pleasure. Culinary arts not only provide an outlet for children to have fun in the kitchen but also teach them necessary skills that will inevitably be used as they enter adulthood.
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Ready for
REALTORS
3 tips to prepare to sell your home
While a good home can find a buyer any time of year, homeowners might find the buyers’ pool is strongest in spring and into summer.
The Saline County Library will begin a new class Feb. 6 for children ages 8 to 12 to intro- duce them to the world of food preparation. Sarah Beth Lesko, children’s programmer and leader of the Culinary Club, said the children will have a lot to learn throughout the weeks of the program.
“The kids will be paired up to work on a new recipe or two each week. I would like for every child at the end of the four-week class to be able to measure ingredients, safely chop ingredients, clean up after themselves, and know the food groups and how to plan a nutritious meal,” she said.
The library, which does not have a conven- tional kitchen setting, is somewhat limited in what the children can prepare. Lesko said the library’s meeting room contains a small con- vection oven and two burners, but she hopes to
y prepare a variety of vegetarian dishes and some baked goods. She also stressed the importance of the subject matter for children.
“It is important for children to learn basic cooking skills at a young age so they will be more likely to continue cooking as adults,” she said. “Also, children who are involved in the
t cooking process are more likely to try new foods e and make healthier choices.”
a Along with the importance of children sharp-
n ening their chef skills, parents play a crucial role c in the process as well. Lesko said parents can in- troduce children to the kitchen by giving small
echildren small jobs, dependent on their age.
h “Ask very young children to stir, mash, wash, espread or anything that does not involve heat ror sharp objects,” she said. “I have found that older children love cracking eggs and measur- ging wet or dry ingredients. Children over age 8 should be able to do just about any task: chop- e ping, grating, peeling, following a simple recipe, e etc. Also, involve your children in the meal-
e planning process.”
n Of course, with knowledge of the kitchen
comes the understanding of safety. This is an- s other area in which parents are able to instill
n common sense in the kitchen at a young age. d “Parents should demonstrate the correct way d to perform a skill and supervise while their chil-
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Teaching children about culinary arts will not only provide quality time with loved ones, but it can also provide them with necessary skills and a potentially favorite hobby.
dren are working, but you can’t ensure safety — accidents happen. Period,” she said. “Even as adults, we burn ourselves, cut ourselves and drop plates on our bare toes.”
With proper knowledge and understanding of what items in the kitchen can cause harm, children should learn to minimize accidents.
When beginning to cook, obviously, children are not going to be whipping up an extrava- gant five-course dinner. Lesko said there are some dishes that are helpful when children are learning to cook.
“Sandwiches and wraps are great beginner dishes because they are easy, usually raw, and once children know how to make their favor- ite kind, they can pack their own lunch,” she said. “All children over the age of 9 should be able to make a variety of egg dishes and soups, which are easy, inexpensive, versatile and nutritious.”
The lifelong skill of becoming proficient in the kitchen is important for children to learn when they are young. Whether children attend a class, such as the one at the Saline County Library, or it just means parents letting kids become a part of preparing family dinners, culinary knowledge can be a great way for children to have fun while also planning for the future.
Because spring is such a popular time to sell a home, homeowners who want to put their homes on the market should use winter to prepare their homes for the eyes of pro- spective buyers. The following tips can help homeowners during the preselling prepara- tion process.
Address the exterior of the home
Winter can be harsh on a home’s exterior, so as winter winds down, homeowners who want to sell should make an effort to address anything that might affect their home’s curb appeal. If it’s in the budget, hire professional landscapers to fix any problematic landscap- ing or address any issues that arose during the winter. Homeowners with green thumbs can tackle projects on their own, but hiring pro- fessionals is akin to staging inside the home.
Conquer interior clutter
Clutter has a way of accumulating over the winter, when people tend to spend more time indoors than they do throughout the rest of the year. Homeowners who want to put their homes on the market in spring won’t have the luxury of waiting until spring to do their
“spring” cleaning, so start clearing any clut- ter out in winter, even resolving to make an effort to prevent its accumulation through- out winter. Just like buyers are impressed by curb appeal, they are turned off by clutter. The Appraisal Institute suggests that home- owners clear clutter out of their homes before appraisers visit, and the same approach can be applied to open houses.
Eliminate odors
A home’s inhabitants grow accustomed to odors that might be circulating throughout the house. Pet odor, for instance, might not be as strong to a home’s residents as it is to guests and prospective buyers. Because win- dows tend to stay closed throughout the win- ter, interior odors can be even stronger come late winter than they are during the rest of the year. A thorough cleaning of the house, including vacuuming and removal of any pet hair that accumulated over the winter, can help to remove odor. In the weeks leading up to the open house, open windows when the weather allows so more fresh air comes into the home.
— Courtesy of Metro Creative