During the summer holidays we ran a series of family cooking sessions at The Canalside in Bridgwater and children’s cooking classes at Wilstock Gardens Childcare. Our heathy cooking workshops were really popular and we we were so encouraged to see all our slots fully booked after only the second day of going live on PlayWaze.
The sessions were funded by SASP as part of the government funded Happy Healthy Holiday Playscheme. The aim of the programme is supporting children to be active and eat healthily during the school holidays. We are so happy we can be a part of this important work together with hundreds of other providers across Somerset.
Thanks to all the parents and children who joined in and gave such wonderful feedback from the sessions.
The days at Wilstock Gardens Childcare were a highlight of the summer holidays for many of the children. They enjoyed getting involved and learning about cooking as well as running around outside in all weathers with new friends. They loved playing on the rope swings, catching grasshoppers and of course, feeding our new friendly flock of chickens and collecting the eggs. One girl told us when she got home she made scrambled eggs with the eggs she collected that day and it was so fun!
It was so encouraging to see many of the children come out of their shells, try new things and grow in confidence.
In contrast, The Canalside sessions involved the whole family. We had people of all ages in attendance - from young children to grandparents! It was wonderful to be given the opportunity by SASP to spark inspiration in the families of Bridgwater - many remarked “We could do this at home too!” - they just hadn't realised how simple and cheap it was to bake their own wholemeal bread and delicious custard buns.
One mum said that the cooking sessions had been so great for her daughter. She said that without these sessions her 14 year old daughter would have been online all week! Mum told us that she has noticed when her daughter is online too much she gets grumpy and aggressive and often can’t sleep well at night. Seeing the positive effect the day had on her reinforced to us all what a difference being active and eating healthily has on us all.
Another Mum said that she and her daughter had really enjoyed taking part in the sessions. She said that not only had her daughter learned new skills but she did too! I received an email a few days later saying that she had really noticed they felt much better for eating homemade whole grain bread which they had sliced up and stored in the freezer.
I feel really confident we achieved what SASP wanted and enabled us to do. We taught families and children how to make healthy food at home simply and even when on a budget. One Mum told us that she had never baked with her Mum growing up so she was glad she got the chance to learn some of these life skills. Many families already know about the importance of keeping active and eating healthy but they simply need the experience to learn first hand just how simple it is to do themselves. The families and children left our sessions not only happier for enjoying a day of activities but also empowered with new skills for life.
We hope to see many of you again for our upcoming Halloween activities! Click the link below to sign up:
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