I've done several blog posts about fun ways to get kids interested in cooking. But how getting kids engaged in the kitchen through a cooking kit that was designed by an actual kid?
Harlow's Harvest is the brainchild of 9-year-old Harlow, a self-proclaimed vegan. She wanted to help her peers eat more nutritiously and learn how to make healthy food on their own.
When you subscribe, you'll receive a box at your doorstep each month with themed recipes, STEM activities, kitchen tools, and a collectible pin.
I was sent a free September box to review, and you can watch my unboxing video here.
The recipes for September were Starry Night-themed, so that meant a recipe for Moonpies, as well as science and art activities. Food is not included in the kits, but that's good news, especially for families with food allergies, because it means you can use whatever ingredients you prefer and substitute the ones in the recipes for ones that work better for you.
Don't have the necessary ingredients on hand? Don't worry! The kits are packed with other activities you can do while you wait for your schedule grocery delivery or shopping day.
That's one of the things I like most about Harlow's Harvest: it's not just cooking! Sure, cooking itself is a hands-on STEM activity, what with figuring out how much the ingredients will cost and measuring the ingredients when cooking. These kits are a well-rounded curriculum, exposing kids to fun facts and information about the kit's theme in a hands-on way. Read about Van Gogh while your moonpies bake, for instance.
Another thing I like is the focus on. healthy eating. That means getting kids to shop for, prep, and cook fruits and vegetables in lots of tasty ways. And when kids cook something themselves, they're more likely to eat it!
These kits are geared toward ages 4 to 15, with younger kids needing adult assistance. You can purchase the boxes on a month-to-month basis or subscribe to a 6-month or 12-month plan.
For more information, head over to the Harlow's Harvest website.
I'm afraid we were quite disappointed with them. My first concern - the website clearly states in several places that you can cancel at any time, when, in reality, I'm told you can't once you sign up for a subscription.
ReplyDeleteConcern #2 - there is work needing to be done on age appropriateness. We purchased this as a gift for our grandson, age 4. Month one the kit came with a garlic press - well, okay, but seems a bit advanced for a four year old. Month two was a rice paddle. Also a sort of off the wall choice, but again, okay. But the crux of the problem was that of the numerous recipes included with the box, only one used the item that was sent. So one recipe using the garlic press but multiple other recipes that were not related to garlic. Ditto with the rice paddle. Additionally, while a shopping list and science experiments were also tossed in, they were over a four year old's head. And the science experiments, while a nice idea, had nothing to do with the garlic press or the rice paddle. So it's a good idea but very disjointed in it's implementation. I think a lot more work needs to go into matching age appropriate skills with baking and cooking tasks.