Cooking with children teaches lessons that reach far beyond the kitchen door. Easier said than done? That’s where Raddish Kids Cooking Club comes in!
Why is cooking with kids so important?
There are a multitude of reasons to cook with your kids. Teaching kids to cook – and cooking with them – is an empowering experience. Being capable in the kitchen gives kids (and the adults they grow into) self-confidence and a sense of independence.
Kids who cook are more informed about nutrition and healthy choices. Kids are more likely to eat something new if they have a hand in preparing it. What’s more, the skills a child gains in the kitchen reach far beyond the kitchen door.
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Cooking with Kids - Easier Said Than Done
Some things are much easier said than done, though. That’s where Raddish Kids Cooking Club comes in. Raddish is a subscription service that delivers a themed box filled with culinary adventures to your door every month.
A note from The Good Hearted Woman:
Right up front, we want to let you know that Raddish Kids provided us with one Kids Cooking Kit box free of charge (i.e., this is a sponsored post).
Since this review was written, The Good Hearted Woman has ceased accepting nearly all offers from companies offering free products for review. While we have always tried to be as objective and honest as possible in our reviews, there is simply too much conflict of interest.
We stand by every review here, past and present; nevertheless, we have chosen to remove nearly all sponsored product reviews from our website. We so thoroughly enjoyed this "cooking with kids" experience, however, that we believe the relative value in sharing Raddish Kids with you makes this review worth keeping.
Sincerely,
Renée & Mr B
Post Updated May 16, 2021 (Originally published March 28, 2014)
Each Raddish (Rad-Dish – get it!?!) Box includes everything you need for at least three separate kitchen adventures except the ingredients:
- 3 family friendly recipe guides carefully designed so that even non-readers can take part.
- 1 culinary skill card
- 2 creative activities with all the necessary materials, aimed at getting your family sitting, talking, and eating together. Activities range from science experiments and art projects to oral histories and foodie games.
- Your shopping list, which is also emailed to you the week your box ships.
- A Table Talk card deck for facilitating mealtime conversation.
- An adorable Raddish patch to be ironed-on to your Raddish apron (which comes free which comes free with a 3, 6, or 12-month subscription)
Unboxing our Raddish Kids Subscription Box
As we opened our Raddish Box when it arrived, the first thing that hit me was the careful attention to detail and the clear intentions of each component.
On top was a crisp, white, child-size Raddish apron, embroidered with the Raddish logo. The apron is made of the heavy, easy-to-wash fabric, and sized to fit a wide range of kiddos.
Below the apron we found our food-prep kit, including kid-friendly, laminated instruction cards, recipes cards, shopping list, activity cards, and so on. Everything had a clean, sharp, solid feel - like they would hold up on a wet, messy kitchen counter. All of the food choices for our curated culinary adventure appeared to be kid-friendly.
As a former SPED classroom teacher, I was immediately impressed with the educational value of our Raddish Subscription Box. Lessons are designed to organically incorporate math, science, nutrition, reading and vocabulary, and geography and culture.
Each element in the collection was well thought out, and the kit as a whole provided enough activities for at least three complete family activities/cooking experiences.
Raddish Subscription Box: Real-life Test Drive
Our Raddish Box arrived in a month coinciding with the Winter Olympics. We started by making Olympic Torch Cupcakes, baked ice cream cones. The scratch-cake recipe was easy to follow, and I loved that the kids were learning that cake doesn’t always come out of a box.
We had four kiddos on hand to test-drive it (ages 3, 6, and two 13-year olds).
The biggest surprise was how much even the older kids - who are both proficient enough in the kitchen to make cookies by themselves - enjoyed the experience almost as much as the little ones did.
The Olympic Torch Cupcakes recipe was my favorite out of those we made. I enjoyed not only the process and the final product, but was impressed with how many skills and techniques this single recipe taught. 
While the cupcakes were in the oven, we made Greek Turkey burgers. I was a little concerned that our picky eaters might not want give the turkey burgers a try - what with all the weird feta cheese and all - but even our 6-year old "Selective" Susie" gobbled hers up with a smile.
As it turned out, we all enjoyed the turkey burgers! They were moist and flavorful; lightly-seasoned to make them kid-friendly.
While we waited for the cupcakes to cool so that we could frost them, the kids made Olympic medals with craft supplies included in the kit.
The philosophy that drives Raddish appears at the heart of every element: they believe that two of the greatest gifts you can give your children are a love and appreciation of good food, and a childhood enjoyed at the family table.
Our day with Raddish almost made me wish I still had young kiddos at home. (As the mother of five, I can't believe I actually had to borrow children for this review!)
If you’d like to learn more about Raddish Kids Cooking Club and their monthly subscription boxes, please visit their website. Subscriptions cost as little as $20 a month.
Mr B and I enjoyed the Raddish Kids turkey burgers, but decided to amp things up and add some bold, "grown-up" flavor. Piled high with full, fresh, satisfying flavors, our Greek Turkey Burgers with Spinach, Feta & Tzadiki Sauce definitely raises the bar!
Jaime Nicole says
I loved watching/helping my grandpa make me breakfast in the morning. 🙂
Heart of a Philanthropist Blogger Kim says
When my mom was having my brother, my dad let me cut up the hotdogs to make hotdogs and beans. I felt so grown up. I was only five (about to be six in three weeks).
Renée ♥ says
What a sweet memory! I am always amazed at the things that stay with us - is so often the purest, simplest of moments.
Jenn W says
My favorite cooking related memory as a child was our yearly lemonade stand in our front yard- we would always bake cookies to sell alongside the lemonade, but we usually ate most of them before we could sell them! 🙂
Kathryn Depew says
My favorite baking memory is making pies with my Grandmother one summer.
Laura says
My son would love to try this out with me. He already loves to bake with me, but I haven't had him involved as much as I could!
christine reyes says
Hmm I don't remember myself cooking much when I was younger. 🙁 I did see my dad cooking a lot which made me interested in that when I became an adult. He would do the majority of the cooking, but on the rare occasion that my mom did cook, I loved watching her make egg rolls. 🙂 BTW, found you via the FB group PNW Blogs.
Sherry Camargo says
I remember making butterscotch pudding from a box. I really loved it!
Bee says
What a fun idea! My nieces would go wild for this! Mackenzie (age 6) is constantly looking to be more helpful in the kitchen--and it looks like everyone had a chance to shine! My favorite childhood cooking memory is making Christmas cookies in July with my Oma. I used to spend summers with her and my Ota and since we couldn't see each other at Christmas--we used to do shortbread and butter cookies with old family recipes! So much fun!
Great post!