Educational Toolkits
We invite you to download and use Cooking Matters educational toolkits. These field-tested, easy-to-use guides provide instruction to help a variety of audiences learn about new foods and build skills to make healthy food choices.
Exploring Food Together helps adults who work with young children provide hands-on instruction about new foods. Field-tested activities center around five food concepts: food identification and tasting; food purchasing; food preparation; food origins; and food culture. Each activity is designed to integrate well with curriculum objectives in early childhood education settings.
Exploring Food Together (English)
Exploremos Los Alimentos Juntos (Spanish)
Cooking Matters for Chefs and Kids helps chefs provide hands-on instruction that encourages kids and teens to develop a love of cooking and the skills to make healthy food choices. It can be used by anyone with culinary training.
Cooking Matters for Chefs and Kids (English)
Cooking Matters in Your Community helps anyone to lead a food-based demonstration for adults, kids, teens, or families. The guide provides a wealth of activities, handouts and recipes, as well as simple instructions for planning and leading a demonstration (including tools like checklists, outlines and culinary tips).
Cooking Matters in Your Community (English)
Cooking Matters in Your Food Pantry provides food pantries with information about how to secure healthy foods and offer food-skills education for their clients. The guide provides activities, handouts and recipes, as well as simple instructions for planning and leading a customizable, food-based demonstration.
Cooking Matters in Your Food Pantry (English)
Kids Handouts
We invite you to download and use Cooking Matters Kids Handouts. The handouts are chock-full of fun activities and recipes focused on healthy eating and cooking for preschool- and elementary-aged kids.
Veggie Face Off is a fun way for families to discuss and vote on favorite veggies.
Snack Board Builder shows that snacking can be fun, and fit the needs of everyone in the family.
Finish the Stir Fry lets kids and adults see how versatile this dish can be!
What Does it Feel Like encourages kids to explore the texture of their foods.
Tasting Chart - Hang this chart on your fridge to keep track of what your family has tried throughout the month!
Food Rater - Use this activity when kids are trying new foods!
Taco Time helps get kids involved by letting them build-their-own meals.
Taste Testers helps your kids find new words to describe what they are eating besides “it’s yucky.”
Tasting Bingo offers a fun way to help kids become more familiar with fruits and vegetables, which makes them more likely to try them!
Tasting the Rainbow is a handout for kids to track which color of fruits and vegetables they've eaten in a day.
Make Meal Time Fun Time offers conversation topics with which to engage kids during mealtime.
Make Meal Time Fun Time #2 encourages families to have fun conversation together at mealtime.
Lucky Number 3 helps kids plan new foods they will try in the upcoming week.
Family Dinner Ingredient Hunt helps kids practice "serving" themselves and associate veggies with their names, shapes and colors.
Don't Yuck My Yum teaches kids that trying new things takes practice, just like learning to read!
Sugar Shocker helps kids learn to identify how much sugar is in the foods and drinks they are consuming, and encourages healthier options.
Make Your Plate a Rainbow helps kids discover just how tasty colorful fruits and vegetables can be.
Breakfast Boost teaches kids to identify the food groups in their breakfast.
Happy Whole-idays is holiday-themed and encourages kids to put their detective skills to work to find wholesome whole grains.