Should the government re-introduce domestic science at school?

Question

If they want to tackle obesity then children need to be educated about nutrition and how to cook (a fast dying art with all the ready meals that are now available).
What do you think - teach cooking at school?

Answer 1

YES, YES, YES. I find it hard to believe that it was stopped.

I still use a school text book of basic receipes marked Class 3LE...so I guess I was 13 then....

There was nothing more to panic me than finding Sunday afternoon that you'd forgotten to tell your Mum that it was cookery tomorow and you needed all these ingredients for you salmon fishcakes and french onion soup.

I recall my brothers fishcakes were uncooked as they'd run out of time in the lesson. So the idea was to bring the perfectly formed cakes home to fry. But no he swung his bag so much they were a mush at the bottom of a tupperware box. I hated the walk home with my biscuit tin level and trying not to nibble whatever was destined for my evening meal.

But DB's comment was true. My year 4 kid did Pizzas last year and they took longer over the box design than the pizza. This year it was war time cakes...with carrots in.

Thank god I was taught cookery and took exams in it or my kids would be full or salt and fat and would think everything was made for them at the supermarket.

Wasn't there a time when good mums baked from scratch, then the others cheated with a packet mix. Now they buy the cakes made already....

I'm off to take the bread out of the oven...prefer it to the ironing!

Answer 2

Basic quality academics are already greatly lacking in many schools, and what you refer to as domestic science, formerly called home economics is still part of some schools curricula, but should really be taught at home.

It is a parents job to teach their children basic life skills; in our home the kitchen is not only where we get together to prepare a meal, but this is also family social time; time to laugh, joke, and catch up on our day; a meal is more than food; a family that's eats together stays together.

If people want to learn how to cook, sign the kids up for 4H, or another class, and take it with them.

What do I think, schools should concentrate on reading writing, and math.

Answer 3

Domestic Science - remember it well. For one year we had one afternoon for cooking and one lesson for theory, and to tell us what we had to bring to cook. I learnt some really interesting things. Rock cakes, (never made them since), Welsh rarebit (already knew how to cook that), then bottled pears (never done it since). When I married, I was a novice cook. The only cookery course which was actually useful was the one by Town Gas in Hong Kong, but I cook Italian, Chinese (from Canton to Szechuan), Indian (from Sri Lanka to Pakistan), Turkish and I make a good shepherds or cottage pie, a proper rösti (with pre-steamed potatoes - not from raw like British TV chefs), my quiche Lorraine goes down very well, and I can cook a traditional Christmas turkey dinner for 16 without stress.
But sometimes I'm lazy, especially when I'm alone - and then I open a tin of beans, grill some rashers of bacon and fry an egg.

Answer 4

I hadn't realised they'd stopped teaching basic home skills, either. My husband, almost 75 learnt basic needlework (sewing on buttons, darning, turning hems, etc.) at West Ham Grammar school - he found it very useful when he had to go in the Army since the Sergeant Major was rarely around to do these things for the men! The boys also had carpentry lessons.
At my Grammar School, we had cooking (which, of course included nutrition and hygiene), needlework, art, craft (including pottery, weaving, spinning, basket making), how to mend fuses, change plugs, and so on. We also had a physical education session (games, including cricket for the girls, gym, dancing) every day.
The school still managed to prepare us for University while giving us skills for living. Of course, the school days were longer and so were length of term times so maybe there isn't time for young people to learn basic necessities.

Answer 5

Definately yes,too many young people these days don`t even know how to do the most basic cooking ,everything is microwaveable.convenient yes,but not as satisfying as making a proper meal yourself.Junk food is fattening we all know that but youngsters want fast food today or a sandwich,even making beans on toast takes too long they have things to do people to see,it is sad that there is no enjoyment of a proper meal any more.

Answer 6

Yes, I definitely think so, although a lot of it is common sense, like lots of fruit, veg and exercise. When I was at school, we had just one two-hour cookery lesson a week (I dropped it when I was 13), but it taught me all the useful basics like good nutrition and how to make sauces, cakes, pastry, etc. What is really funny, is that it was called Housecraft in those days and we also learned how to do flower arranging and balance the housekeeping budget (snigger!)

Answer 7

Good idea - but in my day they called Domestic Science 'Hygiene' and we were taught how to clean a hairbrush, dust a room and make a rather nifty apple crumble. Not exactly Gordon Ramsay but, hey, better than Trigonometry. The boys weren't allowed to do it so no budding chefs at my school.

Answer 8

The SCHOOLS should be having cooking classes that include nutrition.

Answer 9

Yes - they need to be taught proper cooking and nutrition not how to design pizzas

Answer 10

Yes i do, i didn`t realise they had stopped it. Considering the number of people who can`t cook the simplist things it a must to teach it....