An excellent idea!

yoyo123 · Post by **yoyo123** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:01 pm

My son is in year 11 and last night we went to his sixth form options evening.

They are offering an extra curricular course on " catering" which will take place in the canteen ********* and show the boys how to prepare and cook a range of simple meals and to work to a budget, to prepare themselves for student life.

I think it's a marvellous idea.

Ed's mum · Post by **Ed's mum** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:15 pm

I agree. It's fantastic to offer 'life skills' like cooking - especially to boys!

My husband cooks, cleans and sews as well (and as often) as I do. Cleverly, he can also plumb, fix, make (a sledge today) and I can do none of those things!!

The controversial programme on tv about 2 days ago - with the children in houses without parental supervision - illustrated the importance of teaching children to cook!

Hubby wants me to add that he bakes lovely bread! (He does)

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:16 pm

That is a fantastic idea and if popular they may even extend it to showing them how to wash clothes. Have you smelt a bag of 6 week old clothes that have been brought back from uni!

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:17 pm

Ed's mum wrote:I agree. It's fantastic to offer 'life skills' like cooking - especially to boys!

My husband cooks, cleans and sews as well (and as often) as I do. Cleverly, he can also plumb, fix, make (a sledge today) and I can do none of those things!!

The controversial programme on tv about 2 days ago - with the children in houses without parental supervision - illustrated the importance of teaching children to cook!

I was just thinking about that doc today and during half term I'm going to teach my boys how to cook.

yoyo123 · Post by **yoyo123** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:19 pm

I have and do tipsy, in fact I think my daughter is more of a slob than my son!!

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:35 pm

It's a standard part of Sixth form PSHE in many schools - all schools have to offer Food Tech in KS3 now too!

andyb · Post by **andyb** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:35 pm

I think that's a fab idea. My one concern about sending DS to a single sex grammar school is the lack of "girly subjects" taught. All children should be able to prepare a simple meal and do basic sewing. Both my boys can prepare (edible) sandwiches and the older one makes a good homemade vegetable soup although I do have to remind him to just chop the veg and not his fingers! He also sews the badges on his Cubs uniform (I do them again once he's gone to bed

)

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:42 pm

He also sews the badges on his Cubs uniform (I do them again once he's gone to bed )

Now that's either very impressive or I'm not a good mother!

I feel for you yoyo!

andyb · Post by **andyb** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 7:06 pm

T.i.p.s.y wrote:
He also sews the badges on his Cubs uniform (I do them again once he's gone to bed )
Now that's either very impressive or I'm not a good mother!

It depends on whether you have the inclination to unpick the yards of thread to do them again "properly" or whether it's more efficient use of your time to do them yourself in the first place

Sally-Anne · Post by **Sally-Anne** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:19 pm

There is an amazing product out there that our Cub leader found called Badge Fix ... (Just Google it - I bought from the 5th link, beginning with G.

)

Apparently it is a new formulation - the old one didn't work because if you went too near a camp fire, it melted and all the badges dropped off!

The only catch is it doesn't work for Group name tapes - you still have to sew those on - and it leaves a mark if you take the badges off, so you can't really recycle the shirt for younger ones. It also seems to work better on the Scout shirt than it did on the Cub sweatshirt.