I’m sitting on the floor during the last few hours of Natural Kids camp.

So far today, the kids have baked banana bread, done Zumba, learnt how to decode the “sugars” part of a food label, listened to stories, finished off some artwork and now they’re having a big long play.

This is almost my favourite part of the day as it’s cool to watch them get creative, start friendships and work out little squabbles. We have a chilled little pack this week so there’s not much drama and they’re easy to entertain.

The cooking is always a little mad. There’s batter on my laptop, flour in my hair (theirs too) and all over the floor — I learnt to let that go last year. Cooking with kids is never going to be neat and tidy. No matter how much you explain it, they have to learn that stirring too hard makes the mixture jump out of the bowl.

And it’s impossible to verbally convey how hard to tap an egg to break it open. Sometimes they’ll go too light, sometimes they’ll go too heavy. The latter is way more messy!!

This is our third year of running a camp and I have to say, aside from the fact we’re cooking in a boiling hot kitchen (with no air conditioning) in August, the cooking aspect has got easier.

I’m not going to lie, it’s noisy and a little chaotic, but we’ve found a formula that’s working well and we have a great team of junior counsellors who help us keep some kind of control (and most of the ingredients) in the right place.

Between that and cooking with the girls at home, I’ve gathered a few strategies that have helped preserve my sanity. If you like the idea of cooking with your kids but find it super stressful, read through the below and start over.

Teaching children to cook gives them a huge advantage; it’s easier to be healthy, it’s social and it’s fun. So try to carve out the time.

Here are some simple tips and tricks for cooking with kids:

Let it go

Cooking with kids is messy. So, put on the Frozen soundtrack and just Let. It. Go. Your kitchen will look like a bomb has gone off in it but that’s all part of the process and it gets better with time. Of course it’s a good life lesson to get them to help you clean up afterwards, but pick your battles.

Pick a good moment

Don’t try being supermum (or superdad) when you are in a hurry, have just got your period (mums only…. dads, see a doctor), or when your kids are cranky. If you’ve planned it but the timing doesn’t seem good, follow your instinct. Everyone needs to be relaxed and happy for cooking to be fun.

Factor in attention span

Some kids like projects, others don’t. Small kids tend to have a much shorter attention span, so start with quick and easy recipes. Try not to get frustrated if they lose interest quickly but turn off the TV in the background and put away other distractions so you can maximise the time. For healthy kid-friendly recipes, try www.100daysofrealfood.com

Think about pre-measuring

Make sure you have all the ingredients ready and to hand so that you can move the process along pretty swiftly. For really little kids, and especially if mess stresses you out, you might want to pre-chop and pre-measure ingredients into bowls. However, there is lots of hands-on maths to be learnt through measuring and weighing, so if you have the patience do it from scratch.

Chill the wine

Sometimes it’s easier to embrace the chaos when you know there’s a cold glass of wine waiting for you. Channel your inner Mary Poppins, breathe deeply, be super patient and then reward yourself.

•The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. For details: www.natural.bm, 236-7511 or, Facebook, Natural Nutrition Bermuda