Kids can help make Thanksgiving Dinner

This is a really special time of year - the holidays have arrived! 

Thanksgiving is this week.  Have you planned out your meal?  Here's something to think about as you get ready to spend some time in the kitchen:  get your kids involved.  Experts say we should include our kids in the planning, the cooking, the shopping -- everything for the big turkey day event.

Brenda Shreves manages the cafeteria at St. Pius X Catholic School in Mobile.  She feeds hundreds of children every day, and she has three grown children of her own.  She says getting our kids involved in the Thanksgiving meal is a great way to start -- and, keep ahold of -- family traditions.  Brenda explains,

"Thanksgiving is all about family and togetherness.  And, if you get the children involved in it, they feel like they are just as proud when they sit down to the dinner table as you are." 

We had some great cooking helpers when we visited St. Pius X!  Thanks to Owen, Reid, Molly and Kate.  They whipped up a delicious pumpkin pie and some roasted veggies.  And, they had fun!  That's really the idea here.  This can be a really fun holiday for the whole family!  Brenda says our little helpers can do everything from decorating the table to shopping and cooking.

She suggests starting with planning the meal.  Look at cookbooks with pictures of food, and let them help you set the menu.  Then, they can go with you to the store to pick out all of the ingredients.  It's a really neat process to see what you start out with when making that pie to what it turns into.  Depending on their age, they can clean the veggies, cut up the fruit, or mix the ingredients for dessert.  The key is you are spending that time together, making memories and starting traditions that really mean something.  And, even if you're not hosting Thanksgiving, your children can help you put together a dish to take.  They will have that same pride when your family and friends sit down to the table to eat it.

Some really good ideas for this holiday!  For more fun Thanksgiving plans, click here .