DERRY — The menu included immense pans of apple crisp, all prepared by little hands hoping to learn a thing or two about being in the kitchen and eating right.

Five children and their families participated in the opening day of the Upper Room's "Side by Side" cooking class, part of a series of nutritional and healthy eating courses taught at the Derry family resource center, in cooperation with Operation Frontline and the UNH Cooperative Extension.

Operation Frontline is a nutrition education initiative under the Share Our Strength anti-hunger organization, offering cooking and food information for families and children as a way to teach healthy eating habits.

As the children gathered in the Upper Room kitchen the morning of June 30, each learned the importance of keeping hands washed frequently and how to prepare food in a healthy way.

"That's the first thing we do before we cook," Terri Schoppmeyer of UNH Cooperative Extension told her young kitchen charges. "We are learning about why healthy eating is a good thing to do."

Each child involved in the program has a chance to learn about measuring ingredients, slicing and chopping the food in a safe way, following all kitchen guidelines, and then preparing the recipe for taste testing. Parents also have an opportunity to learn about making healthy food choices and how to stretch their dollars for family meals.

Alexis Neubauer, 6, was ready to go when it came time to mix the topping to spread on the sliced apples waiting in the pan. Children prepared two pans of apple crisp with their adult supervisors, including Schoppmeyer, and two students representing Operation Frontline in training as chefs.

Tuesday's class was the first in a series of four dealing with different food subjects and as a way to get families together to learn about eating right.

Upper Room staffer Sue Schick said the program is successful as it joins families together for meals and helps them learn how to make healthy choices.

"It's an opportunity for families to come in and learn the value of nutrition," she said. "It's family time together, learning and playing and exploring together, and also a look at how to stretch our dollar."

Schick said families also receive a bag of ingredients to take home after class to create recipes at home.

To learn more about the Side by Side cooking sessions, call the Upper Room at 437-8477 or visit online at www.urteachers.org.