This learning and fun online experience for both parents and children aims to empower families with hands-on cooking skills and nutrition knowledge. This course fosters healthy eating habits, a positive relationship with food and lifelong skills for well-being beyond the kitchen.

The trial includes one video-lesson from the parents' section, downloadable workbook with extra activities, one video-lesson from the kids' section with handouts to practice this basic cooking skill at home.

SECTION !: FOR PARENTS
Video-Lesson 2: The Power of Variety

• The importance of variety in children’s nutrition
• Master smart food rotation
• Apply “eat the rainbow” rule
• Explore Strategies for Expanding a Child’s Diet

SECTION 2: FOR KIDS
Video-Lesson 4: Squeezing and juicing
This activity not only turns fruit into delicious, natural juice but also helps children develop hand strength, coordination, fine motor skills, and an understanding of cause and effect. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to explore flavors, scents, and textures in a playful way!

HANDOUTS:
32 pages of engaging learning handouts for parents and children exercises to practice.

59 AED
After the successful registration and completing the payment you will receive an access link to the e-learning platform.

To know more about the whole programme "Essentials: Nutrition and Cooking" - read more

Date: April 29, Tuesday
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Format: Online

This interactive session will show you how to inspire curiosity and joy around food in everyday life.

Through simple, science-based and creative approaches, you’ll discover how to make healthy eating feel natural, fun, and exciting for your child.

You will learn:

• Why children resist new foods — and what’s behind picky eating.
• How to build positive food habits using play, sensory exploration, and cooking together.
• Practical strategies to make healthy meals appealing for different ages (2–3, 4–6, 7-9, 10–12).
• Everyday routines that nurture long-term interest in nutritious foods.
• Simple tools and phrases to replace food pressure with curiosity and autonomy.

What you’ll take away

• A clear understanding of how children form food preferences.
• 5 actionable steps to make healthy eating a joyful part of your family routine.
• A printable checklist of “Daily Food Discovery Ideas” for your home.

Perfect for parents and caregivers

Natalia Samoilova is a Child & Brain Development Nutrition Advisor, Certified Nutrition Consultant, Food Educator, and Founder of Cooking Lama, where she develops innovative food edutainment programs for children. With nearly two decades of experience in healthy lifestyles, education, and child development, she empowers families to build sustainable wellness habits. As an expert and author of Look! I'm Cooking! (featured at Harvard University Library), Natalia shares insights on nutrition, brain development, and practical strategies for fostering healthy eating habits in children.

50 AED.
After the registration you will get an access link.
Register in advance to receive a reminder and helpful resources before we go live.

Date: January - March (flexible attandance)
Time: Fridays 14:00 - 15:30 , 16:00 - 17:30
Location: Al Jalila Cultural Center for Children

Smart Food Club — Module: Balanced Snacks
Smart Food Club is more than cooking.
It's structured food-edutainment programme where children learn to complete the full food cycle independently: from ingredients awareness to preparation and shared meals.
Along the way, they develop nutrition literacy, independence and structured thinking.

• 10 Fridays from January 9 to March 13
• Flexible attendance
• Ages 4–7 | 8–11
• Location: Al Jalila Cultural Center for Children

How to join:
• Try 1 session - gentle introduction
• Explorer pack (5 sessions) - flexible learning
• Full Journey Pack (10 sessions) - full curriculum + bonus access

Programme Overview
Smart Food Club by Cooking Lama is a continuous food-edutainment programme designed to help children develop food confidence, independence, and essential life skills through real-life food experiences.
The core focus of the programme is not specific recipes or complex cooking, but the ability for children to complete the full food cycle independently — from understanding what they eat to preparing, cooking, cleaning, serving, and sharing food.

What makes Smart Food Club different?
• Structured food-edutainment approach
• Focus on nutrition literacy
• Small groups for individual attention
• Real-life food independence

Balanced Snacks is the first module of Smart Food Club.
Children use everyday snacks to learn balance, portion awareness and simple nutrition principles.

Children learn to:
• understand ingredients and balance;
• organize their workspace independently;
• prepare balanced snack from start to finish;
• take responsibility for cleaning and serving;
• enjoy food mindfully together.

Beyond food skills
Through cooking, children also strengthen:
• early mathematical thinking (measuring, comparing, portion awareness);
• reading comprehension (following instructions step by step);
• structured thinking and sequencing;
• fine motor skills and coordination;
• communication and teamwork.

Smart Food Club connects food literacy with real academic and life skills.

Attendance is flexible — children can join individual sessions or follow the full and half programme cycle at their own pace. Small groups for calm, individual attention.

The programme supports a healthy eating concept, focusing on balance, natural ingredients, mindful choices, and a positive relationship with food.
Rather than “teaching cooking,” Smart Food Club helps children develop real-life food independence in a calm, playful, and age-appropriate way.

Wonderful Bonus! Little Garden Club is a guided garden experience designed as an optional extension before or after the main Smart Food Club session.
Learn more about Little Garden Club

• First Session Try-Out — 180 AED
(available once per child)

• Explorer Pack (5 flexible sessions) - 850 AED
Flexible attendance within 10 weeks. Ideal if your child attends every other week
Optional Little Garden Club (1 for free)

• Full Journey Pack (10-session package) - 1,600 AED
Full Smart Food Club experience
Unlimited Free Little Garden Club access
Priority access to the next module
Programme completion recognition and a special gift from Cooking Lama

Optional:
Little Garden Club (+30 min)
• Free for package holders
• 40 AED drop-in

The fee includes all materials, ingredients, utensils, thoughtfully designed handouts, and small gifts from Cooking Lama.
Spaces are limited, kindly reserve your spot today.

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Date: January - March (flexible attendance) - Join any time
Time: Fridays (multiple timings before and after Smart Food Club)
Location: Al Jalila Cultural Center for Children

Little Garden Club by Cooking Lama is a gentle, nature-based experience designed for children to slow down, explore, and connect with food in its most natural form — the garden.
This is not a lesson and not a structured class.

It is a calm, guided time in the garden where children can explore plants, soil, and seasonal changes through simple hands-on activities, under the supervision.

Little Garden Club is created as a natural extension of the Smart Food Club experience, supporting children’s understanding of where food comes from and offering a peaceful transition before or after an active kitchen session.

🌿 A Screen-Free Outdoor Moment
Little Garden Club is a screen-free experience.
It offers children a valuable moment to slow down, breathe fresh air, and engage with nature — especially during this beautiful seasonal weather.

Duration: 30 minutes
Day: Fridays
Format: Optional | Flexible attendance

Available time slots:

• 13:00 – 13:30
• 13:30 – 14:00
• 15:30 – 16:00
• 17:30 – 18:00

These time slots are aligned with Smart Food Club sessions, allowing children to join naturally without rush or pressure.
Parents may choose for their child to join occasionally or regularly, depending on their schedule and interest.

Depending on the season and the group, children may:

• plant seeds or seedlings
• water and care for plants
• observe how food grows
• touch, smell, and explore natural textures
• learn to respect nature and shared space

There is no pressure to complete tasks and no fixed outcome.
Children are invited to participate at their own pace.

Little Garden Club supports:

• connection to food origins
• sensory exploration
• calm regulation after active learning
• respect for nature and environment

It complements food-edutainment programmes by adding a nature and mindfulness layer to children’s overall experience.

Little Garden Club is optional and flexible.

• Children may join occasionally or regularly
• Attendance does not require commitment
• The garden experience can be joined before or after Smart Food Club sessions, depending on the schedule.

• Included for children enrolled in the Smart Food Club – Full Journey Pack
• Available as a drop-in for other participants

💰 Drop-in fee: 40 AED

A Gentle Note for Parents
Little Garden Club is designed to be calm, supportive, and unhurried.
Children are guided, observed, and supported — not instructed or rushed.
It is a space to be, not to perform.

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Type: Gift Offline Experience
Location: Al Jalila Cultutal Center for Children
Redeemable on Fridays

Less things. More meaning.

The Cooking Lama Gift Certificate is a meaningful birthday experience that nurtures confidence and a healthy relationship with food.

Instead of another toy, choose a hands-on food & nutrition session that becomes a lasting memory.

For children aged 3–11.

1. Purchase the Gift Certificate online.
2. Receive a beautifully designed digital certificate that you can print.
3. The recipient books a session via our Schedule page.

Simple. Meaningful. Ready to gift.

Price: 180 AED per session.
Includes: Personalized digital gift certificate.
• Valid for Friday offline sessions
• Advance booking required
• Valid for 3 months from purchase

Date: April 3
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Age: 4-9 years old
Format: drop -off (parents may stay if needed)
Location: Al Jalila Cultural Center for Children

Give your child a joyful and meaningful afternoon away from screens — where cooking, creativity, and nature come together.

In this annual special spring session, children will explore ingredients, cook a beautiful festive dish, and create their own table experience from start to finish.

1.Garden hunt for spring ingredients
Children begin with a playful exploration — discovering seasonal ingredients and connecting food to nature.

2.Cooking time: create spring tarts
Each child prepares their own beautiful tart using fresh ingredients, learning simple techniques and building confidence in the kitchen.

3.Creative pause: spring decoration craft
While the tart is baking, children engage in a calm creative activity — decorating eggs inspired by spring colours and patterns.

4.Table setting & spring decorations
Children set their own place at the table, learning how to create a warm and inviting food space.

5.Shared meal & reflection
We gather, taste, and enjoy what we’ve created together.

6.Gift for Each Child
Each participant receives a small gift + access to an online Cooking Lama session.

(including educational materials, ingredients, utensils, special gifts from Cooking Lama)
180 AED - 1 child
160 AED - additional child

Spaces are limited, kindly reserve you spot till 2nd April (including).

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Date: April 17
Time: 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Age: 4-9 years old
Format: drop -off (parents may stay if needed)
Location: Al Jalila Cultural Center for Children

Smart Food Club: breakfast edition
Part of the Cooking Lama Food Edutainment Methodology and Smart Food Club program, this session invites children to explore how to build a nourishing breakfast — and prepare it independently from start to finish.

In this session, we move beyond simple balanced snacks and introduce children to the logic of a real meal — understanding how food supports energy, focus, and mood throughout the day.

• Understanding breakfast as a system

Children explore what makes a breakfast truly satisfying — not just tasty, but balanced and sustaining in a playful way.

• Cooking: Berry Crumble from scratch

Each child prepares a warm berry crumble, learning how ingredients work together and how to build both flavour and nourishment.

• Food awareness & choice

Children learn to recognise ingredients, combine them thoughtfully, and make simple food decisions independently.

• From preparation to serving

The full cycle: organizing workspace, measuring the ingredients, preparing food, baking, serving, and cleaning.

• Shared meal experience

We sit together and enjoy what we’ve created — building a positive and mindful relationship with food.

Smart Food Club is not about recipes — it’s about helping children develop real-life food independence through structured, hands-on experience.

After the session, children may stay for a calm, nature-based extension — Little Garden Club.
This optional add-on invites children to explore herbs, plants, and sensory elements in an outdoor setting, helping them connect food with nature and transition gently after the cooking session.

(including educational materials, ingredients, utensils, special gifts from Cooking Lama)
180 AED - 1 child
160 AED - additional child

Spaces are limited, kindly reserve you spot till 16th April (including).

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