Patty Bowers, youth EFNEP educator in Chowan and Perquimans Counties partnered with Asheton Smith, 4-H Agent in Perquimans County to co-lead a Cloverbud Cooking Class. It was a fun morning filled with kitchen-related activities including painting aprons, hand-washing practice, and lots of cooking!

During the class Patty used hand puppets to talk about germs and how they can make you sick. She reviewed proper hand washing techniques and talked about how important hand hygiene is prior to handling food. Then the kids used Glo Germ lotion and a blacklight to identify pretend “germs” before and after they washed their hands. Several kids noticed stubborn “germs” around and underneath their fingernails, even after they had washed their hands! Once everyone had thoroughly cleaned their hands, it was time to cook!

Patty set up several cooking stations including fruit smoothies and chicken and cheese quesadillas. The kids were able to assist with measuring ingredients and got to sample each of the recipes. They also talked about all of the MyPlate food groups and which foods fit into each group. Cloverbud Cooking Class was an enjoyable culinary experience for everyone!

-Jackie Sugg, Regional Nutrition Extension Associate