Life

4-H program teaches cooking, manners and more

Madelin Alvarez, Aimee Alvarez and Katherine Grady wash dishes.

By Bill Moss, Published: August 26, 2012

EDNEYVILLE — Katherine Ayala said she'd know what to do next time a friend meets her mom.

"When you introduce somebody you start with your mom, then your friend," she said. "You always start with the older person."
That was among the good manners that Katherine and about 15 other children learned last week at a 4-H event for 4-Hers and Shuey Knolls kids at the Edneyville Community Center.

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The kids also learned about food safety, sanitation, cooking, setting the table, Internet safety, outdoor grilling and even hand-cranking an old-fashioned ice cream church. Through email or texting, the children were taught about "flaming," or personal attacks, and about being careful.
"Don't put personal information on the Internet," Katherine said. "You don't know the personality of the person."
Hand-washing, they learned, is more than a casual task.
"You put your hands under this light and you can see your germs," said Madelin Alvarez.
Led by 4-H agent Denise Sherrill, program assistant Sue Janowiak and volunteer Erika McGilley, the program lasted an afternoon and culminated with a dinner of beef and chicken kabobs over brown rice, southern-style green beans, home-made wheat bread, home-made ice cream with fresh strawberries and s'mores.