Kids in Charge of Snacks

Mary Ellen Foster

My oldest son was a very picky eater and he was the first one to cry half an hour after a meal that he's hungry. I finally purchased some Rubbermaid divided containers and labeled them with each of my kiddos' names. Every morning I filled the containers with a few crackers, apples slices, raisins, cheese cubes, etc. (not a whole lot of anything, really) and put them in my refrigerator. My kids knew that they are allowed to snack out of them whenever they want (except during meals) but when they are empty . . . that's it. My breakfast was at 7:30, lunch was at 11, and we have a regular snack at 2 or 3. Their "snack bowls" help them feel in control of when they eat, and it makes my life a lot easier.

 

Some Snack Ideas

• Fun snack idea is to take gingerbread cookie cutters and cut out wonder bread people then paint them with milk and food coloring. Can be toasted and color still shows up.
• Ginger bread kids are a great idea for snacks, children make their own people to bake with two sultanas for eyes and a licorice strip for mouth and use your imagination.
• Make fruit kabobs. Using lollipop sticks, the children can cut up several types of fruit and spear them onto the sticks. This is safe to do with both toddlers and preschoolers since the sticks were not pointy and the fruit was large enough not to be a choking hazard. Obviously, for toddlers provide the fruit already cut up. This can also incorporate food safety, since you should wash the fruit and the kids wash their hands too.
• For a healthy snack that little ones will find inviting, make a giant "Mrs. Eggplant Head" with all of its parts made from fruits & vegetables. The kids loved it!! Here's how to do it... Position an eggplant in the center of a baking sheet. To make it stand up, first placed an empty cool whip tub on the tray and then covered the tray & tub with foil. The eggplant will stand right up in the tub. Secured all the parts with toothpicks. Use leaf lettuce for the hair. Make a hat out of 1/2 of a grapefruit, decorated with radish roses. Make the eyes with cucumber slices and raisins. Use a slice of red pepper for lips! The ears were made from cucumbers with dangling radish earrings. Make a grape jewel necklace for her. All around "Mrs. Eggplant Head" slice carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, grapes, and other fruits & vegetables for the children to try.
• In talking about fruit and healthy snacks, buy several apples. Red, green and yellow. Make a chart and have a taste test. Have all the children taste the same color and talk about sweet or sour, crunchy or soft, chewy or soft skin. Then make a graph of their favorites. It is a tasty, healthy science lesson!

 

Do you have snack ideas you would like to share with other providers? Write them down and email them to Midwest and we will publish them to our web site.