mini innovators...
sing-along fruit and veggie salad
Here's a sense-sational salad recipe youngsters love to make and munch. It lets kids name and use a variety of simple kitchen tools, teaches them some food preparation basics, encourages good nutrition, and comes with a 'sunny salad song' besides!
It's also good for creativity, teamwork with you and a little bit of lateral thinking as bits of food have to become bit of a foody friend.
It goes without saying (but we have to say it anyway of course) please be safe with tools in the kitchen, even the suggested plastic knife might cause pain to a finger if either of your attention wanders when using it.
You will need:
- Hungry preschool child
- Assorted kitchen tools, including a cutting board, veggie grater, plastic knife, spatula, ladle, two plates, four small cups and two forks.
- One peach (one peach makes two salads)
- Assorted fruits and vegetables: lettuce, plus one each: banana; apple; celery stalk; carrot; green pepper, etc.
- Two slices of bread
- Favorite hard cheese, such as cheddar cheese
- Black olives (nice, but not necessary)
- Prepared creamy salad dressing
- Vanilla yogurt
- Cinnamon
What to do:
Please Note: This is a make-together salad, so you'll want to assist your child every step of the way. As you prepare each part of the salad together, be sure to refer to each tool and each ingredient by its specific name.
Help child use the vegetable peeler to remove skin from a peach. As you work, call attention to how the skin looks and feels (fuzzy). Cut the peach in half from top to bottom. Remove pit. Place each peach half flat side down on the plates.
Use the plastic knife to trim the corners of the bread, so the slices are circular shaped. Use the spatula to transfer each peach half from the cutting board to the plates. Show your child how to place the bread circle next to the peach half so that the bread represents your child's 'head' and the peach slice represents the 'body'.
Help your child slice carrots and celery longwise. Arrange these on the salad plates to represent arms and legs.
Help your child cut, chop, slice and/or grate the rest of the ingredients you have assembled. Each time you prepare an ingredient to add to your salad, sing this song (to the tune of 'Here We Go ... Round the Mulberry Bush') substituting appropriate words for the bolded words.
We use a knife to slice the peach,
Slice the peach, slice the peach.
We use a knife to slice the peach,
As we prepare our salad.
Have your child use these ingredients to 'decorate' the body shape to make an edible food friend. (For example, grated cheese can serve as 'hair', black olive slices placed on the bread slice can double as eyes, a thin apple slice placed on the bread slice can become a mouth, and pepper strips can serve as ears.)
Help your child pour the dressing and ladle the yogurt into the cups. These will serve as dipping cups. Have your child sprinkle the yogurt with cinnamon.
Take turns adding parts to create your edible friends. Each time you add an ingredient, sing this song (to the tune of 'Here We Go ... Round the Mulberry Bush') substituting appropriate words for the bolded words.
We use our fingers to sprinkle the cheese,
Sprinkle the cheese, sprinkle the cheese.
We use our fingers to sprinkle the cheese,
As we prepare our salad.
Before you use your forks to enjoy eating your salads together, take turns describing the sequence of what you did first, next, last, etc.
Extension:
Set out 3 kitchen tools.
Have your child look at the tools and offer clues describing one for your child to identify by name.
(I'm thinking of a tool that has a black handle. We use this tool to peel carrots. YES! It is the vegetable peeler)
Then have your child pose clues for you.
- Sing-along Fruit & Veg Game download
2 x A4 sheets to download and print out
(PDF file approx 1mb)
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