MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University will teach kids there can never be too many cooks in the kitchen at the fifth annual Fun with Food camp.

MSU’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion is offering the Fun with Food camp for students entering third through sixth grade.

The event takes place on campus from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. June 20-24. It will include activities to spark children’s interest in meal preparation and give them an understanding of how food makes its way from the farm to the table. Sylvia Byrd, a registered dietitian and associate professor in the department, and Chef Roland Parny will lead programs focused on eating locally, foods and flavors, meal planning and understanding recipes.

Campers will visit a fruit and vegetable garden, MSU’s cheese plant and dairy farm, the food processing plant and sensory laboratory, and a grocery store. Each day will include a cooking experience that will teach them about nutrition, health and food preparation. Campers also will learn more about mathematics, specifically fractions, by measuring ingredients.

“A cook must be creative, understand math and science, and be astute in reading and writing,” Byrd said. “We plant all those seeds in our camp. Kids will not only enjoy cooking and tasting new flavors, they will also learn to enjoy subjects like math and writing.”

Byrd encourages families to consider Fun with Food camp as a way to create new family activities.

“Our camp can be beneficial to the whole family,” Byrd said. “Grandparents who have their grandchildren for summer visits find it to be a great chance for the kids to have fun. But what is even better is that the children take the lessons home, creating some memorable activities grandparents can enjoy with the children.”

The $200 registration fee for Fun with Food includes meals, snacks, field trips and a T-shirt. To register, visit http://www.fsnhp.msstate.edu or call Byrd at (662) 325-0919. The registration deadline is June 13.

Writer:  Karen Templeton