More Ideas for Creativity in the Kitchen

Lunchbox plus dessert

I find that my son is willing to eat anything on a stick. So I roll lunch meat up and stick a toothpick through it to make an airplane. The meat is used to make the wings and a slice of cucumber makes the body. For the propeller, we use thinly sliced carrots. I cut up cheese cubes, vegetables and fruits to make various kebobs. He likes building the kebobs too! He is more willing to try new foods and he enjoys trying to see what we can build with our toothpick. For dessert, he likes to make blue jello with gummy fish or for halloween, jello with gummy worms! We also take ice cream cones (sugar cones) and put batter in them to make cupcakes. Then we frost them, turn them on their sides to make a race car. For the wheels, we put a spot of frosting on the side and stick 4 round candies on. Frosting is a great way to teach a bit of science too. We make yellow frosting, red frosting and blue frosting. Then he mixes some together to see which new colors he can make. We also enjoy making Stone Soup based on the fable. We go to the store. I let him pick out the vegetables. He helps me cut them up and put them in the pot. Not only is he contributing to the meal, but it is also refining his fine motor skills. The kitchen is a wonderful playground!

Kids, Kitchens and Kiwis

Kids are naturally curious, and what better place to foster that curiosity and zest for learning than in the kitchen, the heart of the home. In our house, with four kids ten and under, we cook--a lot! Whenever the kids hear the mixer going or oven turn on, they run in asking What are you making? Can we help?" Although it can take longer (and be messier!) I think being involved in the process of creating food is vital in raising healthy daring eaters. The kids often suggest variations in the recipe and we have fun finding out if it was successful or not. Sprinkles in the pancakes works. Cloves in the meatballs does not! Seeing food in both its raw and prepared form gives kids a whole new appreciation for the things they eat. The fries start as whole potatoes; the yummy kiwi starts as a fuzzy brown ball; Pesto is created from the basil in the garden. We have fun planning meals by theme on occasion too. Whether it is a meal of all food from the sea all green food or all letter "M" food the kids come up with clever suggestions we parents would have never thought of! Creating and eating meals together not only reinforces valuable lessons like measurement fractions reading and taking turns but more importantly it creates happy memories together as a family we can cherish.

Please note: The above entries were not chosen as winners for the Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest.