Kids in Pequot Lakes Learn Valuable Life Skills at Culinary STEM Camp

Kids received an introductory crash course on cooking, wildlife in the world, and more in a culinary STEM camp held last Friday in Pequot Lakes.

Arranged through Pequot Lakes Community Education, young chefs and scientists gathered to explore the wonders of cooking, science, and nature.

“I love to cook and bake, and make my house smell good, and that’s really what I’m trying to hone into these kids: the simple things in life,” explained Char Bzdok, the culinary STEM camp’s instructor. “Combining measurement with how the smells perpetrate throughout the kitchen. Having those kids learn that there’s correlations with cooking, there’s correlations with baking and science. I want them to make mistakes because that’s how we learn.”

Bzdok has more than 30 years of experience helping kids learn and expand their horizons, and she believes the information at the camp is something youth can benefit from knowing.

“Learning the science, learning how to bake a cake, doing the dishes: these are experiences that I feel all kids need to have because they’re going to be on their own in years to come,” Bzdok said. “The more experiences they have, the more confident they will be in maybe being an entrepreneur, or just doing household chores, or whatever have you in their lifetime.”

Pequot Lakes parents are all also fully on board with their children receiving such exposure in a method that involves creativity, discovery, and fun.

“We love to partner with local instructors and instructors from other places and bring in classes like today’s class, which is a cooking class, but it brings in all kinds of STEM components,” said Pequot Lakes Community Education Director Joell Tvedt. “It really gives us an opportunity for our kids to become well-rounded just by being exposed to lots of different types of activities and interests.”

Pequot Lakes Community Education’s mission is to provide quality, enriching opportunities that promote lifelong learning for community members of all ages. And that’s something the STEM camp exemplified as it touched on everything from zebras in the African savanna to learning how to make zebra-striped bread.

“We really appreciate when instructors bring that perspective into it rather than just doing it all for the kids,” Tvedt elaborated. “Not all kids know those skills. Being able to expose kids to experiences like this, we’re just going to better assure that they’re ready to leave our house someday.”

Bzdok will be back with Pequot Lakes Community Education on October 25 to host both a jack-o’-lantern class and a session on how to make ghost and goblin cake pops.