A stern parental warning is in order: If we don’t change the culinary path we’re on, we’re destined to sit down at some future holiday get-together to a microwavable takeout dinner precisely at the time in our lives when our offspring ought to be basting the turkey and we ought to be playing with our grandkids.

The life skills that used to be taught as a matter of course in home economics and shop classes — this includes such basics as cooking, woodworking, stitching on a button and learning how to change the oil in a car — have all but disappeared.

Blame the pressures of tight funding, blame a curriculum with an increasing emphasis on technology, blame sweeping changes in the work force. Wherever you place the blame, the gaps in education today will seem like canyons tomorrow.

It’s too bad. The old-fashioned life-skills classes gave my generation a chance to take raw materials and craft them into something with our hands, which in turn gave us the special sense of accomplishment that comes from creating something in three dimensions.

I’ll never forget the joy of watching my crummy little sheet metal dustpan take shape. The fact that one side was a bit out of square made it that much more of a one-of-a-kind item. I’ll also never forget the fun we had goofing off in shop. My recollection may be hazy, but it seemed as if the teachers in the home ec and shop classes were more friendly, more open than the rigid structure required of the teachers of the 3 R’s. For me, shop was a reprieve from the go, go, go world that encompassed the rest of my public education.

Today, however, the typical middle-school curriculum is far more compressed. There’s not much thought given to teaching a kid how to bake a pie, hammer a nail or turn a piece of sheet metal into a dustpan. There are no rest stops along the education highway.

To counter the tide, I’ve made a mission out of making sure all three of my kids learn about all the aspects of life that exist outside of their classrooms. This past weekend, for instance, my oldest daughter, Kristyn, learned to slice and dice tomatoes, herbs and peppers for an outstanding bruschetta. She also learned to make garlic bread from scratch instead of merely heating a frozen torpedo-shaped bag.

She also learned it’s important to keep a close eye on anything that’s cooking under the broiler. It’s amazing how quickly a loaf of garlic bread can turn into a charcoal briquette. Hurray for learning!

Kids learn better from the inside out, when they’re involved. Study after study shows that “doing” beats listening, watching and standing on the outside when it comes to making meaningful deposits to our learning banks.

The same focus on fundamental life skills is happening in our garage. One recent weekend, the kids and I explored the world of saws, hammers, sanding and painting. The result: a set of three bird feeders, which the kids proudly presented to their mom.

If schools won’t teach our kids about these kinds of life skills, there’s only one place for them to learn, and you’re making mortgage payments on it. You don’t have to be Bob Vila to teach woodworking or Julia Child to teach cooking. All you need is a willingness to learn, if you didn’t already learn in seventh-grade shop class. Then you can embark on a learning adventure with your children. Here are a couple of ideas to jump-start the process:

Hardware Whims. Hardware stores understand that today’s parents need help. They’ve developed clear, concise instruction brochures and hired the most patient handymen and women on Earth. No question’s too dumb. What is dumb is not asking for help when you need it.

Whatcha Got Cookin’? Packaged grocery manufacturers have figured out that the act of boiling water is a challenge for many. The people who make cake mixes have taken dramatic steps toward making baking goofproof. If you can follow a comic strip, you can bake a cake mix today.

Shelves in supermarkets and hardware stores are filled with products that make it easier to craft something with your hands. Give it a try this weekend. Get your kids involved in the adventure. Have an old-fashioned, home-cooked meal that you made together … and give the pizza delivery dude a weekend off.

Doug Hall is director of the Great Aspirations! parent education charity. Learn more about how to help inspire your kids at www.aspirations.com. E-mail: Doug@aspirations.com.