Cookbooks help kids be creative

One of the earliest memories I have is of my mother teaching me how to cut up a banana.

I can clearly remember her handing me a butter knife and watching my clumsy hands turn that poor banana to mush.

I don’t remember what we did with that banana or how it tasted, but I remember the excitement of learning something new from my mother.

Today, cooking with your kids has come a long way.

In the August issue of Child Magazine, chef Mollie Katzen and her cookbooks for kids are featured.

Katzen began writing recipes for children when her son was small. She found that he was more likely to try foods he wouldn’t ordinarily eat, like his vegetables, when he made the meal himself.

Her latest cookbook, “Salad People,” Katzen prompts kids to make portraits of themselves and family members using fruits, vegetables, pasta, cheese and other food items.

She recommends that parents prepare the items, such as slicing, dicing and boiling, before the children sit down to make their creations.

She also adds that the workspace for the children should be suited to them, like a smaller table and the food should be within easy reach.

Katzen also notes that there are some food items that are not suited to children of certain ages. Some items like celery sticks and cherry tomatoes may pose a choking hazard for children under four years old.

Free summer movies

Whether you and your family want to beat the heat of the day inside an air-conditioned movie theater, or pack a picnic and a blanket for an outdoor movie, there are several options available this summer.

Regal Entertainment Group is offering free movies at 10 a.m. at the Spokane Valley Stadium 12.

“Muppets from Space” and “Ella Enchanted” will play Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave., is offering free movies Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m. through the end of August.

“Shark Tale” opens today and will run through Friday, and next week will feature “Napoleon Dynamite.”

For information, call the theater at 327-1050.

Beat the heat

Spokane city pools are open for the summer.

Comstock, Hillyard, Liberty, A.M. Cannon and Witter are open from 1 to 4 p.m. on weekdays and from 1 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

All the pools, with the exception of Witter, will be open for family swimming from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays.

While all of the city’s stand-alone wading pools are permanently closed, there are spray pads open at Mission, Chief Garry, Grant, Harmon and Nevada Parks. The attached wading pool at Liberty Park will maintain the same hours as the pool.

If you want to stay out of the sun, the indoor pool at Shadle Park is open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Fridays.

All swimmers under the age of 18 years old can swim for free and lifeguards will be on duty during open swim hours.

For information about the pools, call the swimming pool hotline at 625-6960.