The teacher should learn how the pupils live in their own homes, what
food produce is grown for home use, what foods they use, and how they
prepare and serve their foods. The instruction given in the lessons
should be based on this knowledge, and the possibilities for the
improvement of accepted methods of cooking should be considered. Those
foods should be used in the recipes which the pupils can afford to use
at home. They should be encouraged to grow in their gardens a variety of
garden produce, and to keep chickens, pigs, and cows.
Elementary principles of nutrition and sanitation should be taught.
Simple meals, with plain but well-cooked dishes, should be planned.
Variations should be suggested, and the value of a mixed diet
emphasized. Care should be taken not to waste time on points that are
unrelated to the homes of the pupils, except as such points may be
necessary to raise their ideals.
All the work should be done carefully. The sanitary handling of food and
care in the storage of foods should be insisted upon. Careful attention
should be given to the dish-washing, care of the dish-towels, etc.,
emphasizing the points in sanitation involved. The pupils should be
drilled faithfully in all points connected with the handling of anything
that comes in contact with the food.
Proper methods of sweeping and cleaning should be employed, and
thoroughness must be practised in every detail of the work. Constant
drill in these processes should be given.
The order in which the lessons are to be given will be regulated, in
part, by the season of the year in which they occur, the locality, the
foods obtainable, and any special local needs. However, care must be
taken that the lessons are given in proper sequence, so that the pupils
may see the relation of one to another and may appreciate the value of
each. It may be necessary to combine two lessons or to give only part of
a lesson. In some of the lessons more recipes are suggested than can be
prepared in a brief period. In every case the choice of a recipe will
have to be made by the teacher. Wherever it is possible, simple
experiments should be performed to show the composition of, and the
effect of heat on, food.
No attempt has been made to give a complete set of recipes; but those
included here are chosen as illustrating the subjects to be discussed in
the lessons. The teacher who desires to make use of a greater number of
recipes will do well to supply herself with one of the text-books
listed. Level measurements should be used in the preparation of all the
recipes, and all the directions should be carefully followed.
The first few lessons are more fully outlined than the others,
furnishing suggestions for methods of procedure that may be adapted to
later lessons. The teacher should have a detailed plan for every lesson,
outlining her method of work, the leading questions for the discussion,
and the home assignments which she desires to make.
Foods that are in common use are suggested for the lessons outlined.
There will necessarily be exceptions to their use in different
localities. If any foods used in the homes are harmful because of the
manner in which they are prepared, the teacher should do all in her
power to correct the situation, but she must, at the same time, be
careful not to be too radical. If the lessons given are not followed by
home practice, the time devoted to them will be, to all intents and
purposes, wasted. Simple meal service should be introduced wherever it
is possible, and as much instruction on the furnishing and the care of
the kitchen should be included as time permits.
By the time the course is completed, the pupil should be able to keep
her kitchen in a sanitary condition and should have a sufficient
knowledge of food values and of the processes of cooking to enable her
to provide simple, wholesome meals for her family.
For the teaching of food values, it will be helpful to secure the set of
sixteen food charts which may be obtained from the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., price one
dollar.
It will be shown later how the school luncheon may be managed with very
little interference with the ordinary organization of the school. Where
definite instruction is given in Household Science, a place must be
provided for it on the school time-table, as is the case with the other
school subjects. In sewing and household management lessons of forty
minutes each are sufficient, and these can be arranged for at the times
found to be most convenient. If each pupil keeps her sewing in a box or
bag, it may often be used as "busy work" when the pupil has finished her
assigned work or while she is waiting for the teacher, who may be
engaged with another class. Lessons in cookery should be, if possible,
at least one hour in length, and should be given at a time when this
period can be exceeded, if the character of the lesson renders it
desirable; for example, in those cases where the cooking is not
completed at the expiration of the time assigned. For this reason the
last hour on Friday afternoon has proved a very suitable time. In some
schools the lesson is commenced at half-past three and runs on until
completed, and in this way only half an hour of the regular school time
is taken. The possibilities of a Saturday morning cooking class should
not be overlooked.