Every week, Carleton College students volunteer at the local middle schools in Northfield and Fairbault, MN, to help them gain scientific knowledge and culinary skills using hands-on cooking lessons. In the past year, we have gone through over 20 lesson plans that were designed by former Carleton students. The lesson plans encourage undeserved students of ages 12-14 to get tangible culinary skills and knowledge to develop an understanding of healthy eating. Moreover, the lesson plans prompt students to think creatively and ask scientific questions. For example, in a guacamole lesson, the students hypothesized how the color of avocadoes would change over time and presented a rationale behind their hypothesis. As we interacted with students while chopping avocadoes, we explored the chemistry behind oxidation. We also did a side-experiment with lemon, an antioxidant, to get the students to see the effects of adding acid. Another example of a lesson plan involved salad dressing, and we explored the emulsification and miscibility of the oil when mixed with water. With a volunteer to student ratio of 1:3, we are able to adjust the lesson to accommodate the interests of the 40+ students that we get to work with for multiple weeks each year. By building positive mentor-mentee relationships, we aim to foster a love for cooking and learning the science behind it. For the past few years, Young Chefs has continuously been a popular volunteering program at Carleton with about twenty volunteers being involved every year to make positive changes in our communities.

The Young Chefs Program at Carleton College: Using cooking to teach middle school students science

256th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.