Regina Wright
Plan Do Review: Spring has Sprung and during the springtime we like to enhance our ways of keeping children hydrated. Below are a few quick nutritious delicious snacks that can also include educational opportunities to talk about math concepts, shapes and colors, textures as well as familiar springtime themes like rainbows, insects and the weather.
When I was working as a teacher it was always easier to get children to try new and healthy foods when they also created them. Children are usually eager to participate when you allow them to give their input. Why not ask them to join you on a shopping trip to pick up all the ingredients? While shopping you can ask them what fruits and vegetables they like and what they want to try.
They can select the types of fruits and vegetables to include in the recipe. I always enjoyed extending the project by adding an art activity, by simply asking children to brainstorm how the result might look and then have them create it on paper. Children will want to talk about their likes and dislikes. After you have the finished project, ask them what they learned. They may want to try it at home.
An extension of this activity would be to allow the children to start their own garden. Plant a seed and talk about. Now watch it grow.
Remember to have children and adults wash hands thoroughly before and after each nutritious snack to avoid contamination.
Fruit/Veggie Kebobs
Ingredients and supplies
- Grapes
- Grape Tomatoes
- Blueberries
- Green peas
- Small Craft Sticks
Recipe: Children can count out three or four of each. While discussing the colors, shapes, and texture of the ingredients, child can place them on the sticks. Some may choose to arrange the fruits and vegetables by color or in another pattern. Talk about sequencing, first, middle, last. Enjoy!!
Yogurt Parfaits
Ingredients and supplies
- Fat Free Vanilla Greek Yogurt
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Granola
- Small cup/spoons
Recipe: Allow children to measure two spoonfuls of yogurt and place it in their cup. Then they can count out five blueberries and place them in their cup. Then add two more spoonfuls of yogurt. Next they will need to count and place five raspberries in the cup, along with one spoonful of yogurt and top it off with a sprinkle of granola. Enjoy!!
Fruit/Vegetable Rainbow
Ingredients:
- Green Peas
- Cantaloupe
- Pineapples
- Grapes
Recipe: Allow children to count 10 of each of the fruits and vegetables. Talk about colors, shapes, textures and patterns. Children can practice sequencing by lining the snacks up to form a rainbow. Enjoy!!
