Spending time with grandkids is one of the greatest pleasures of a grandparent’s life. It’s enjoyable to plan age-appropriate activities to keep young ones entertained. Making food art is a joyful endeavor whereby edible characters and forms are shaped out of food. Not only is it fun, but it encourages kids to eat healthily. Creating food art taps into one’s imagination where there is no right or wrong. Plus, it provides opportunities to bond – and even for grandparents to share information on life, kitchen safety, and nutrition – all while having fun!
Top tip: Children should be supervised around kitchen appliances and utensils. Adults should take charge where necessary. For example, some food art creations require culinary skills such as cutting with a knife or cooking on the griddle. Kids should participate in parts that are age appropriate and safe for them.
- Smiling pea frogs. Using cooked and cooled peas, on a flat plate form the shape of a frog’s head. Take two 1” thick sliced cucumber rounds. Scoop out a little cucumber pulp from the center of each round – but don’t cut all the way through. Place a tiny black olive bit in the center of each cucumber slice to create eyeballs. Place the cucumber eyes atop the frog’s head. Then use a carrot or red pepper slice to create the frog’s smile.
- Owl sandwiches. Make a thin sandwich using two pieces of curved-top white bread. Leave the entire sandwich intact and face it toward you. The curved top of the bread will serve as the owl’s head. You will essentially cut the bread to form three pieces, largely keeping the main sandwich intact and cutting two even sized semi-triangular wings off the left and right side of the bread. To create the right wing, cut the bread at a slight angle inward running from the top right edge of the bread downward. Now repeat the cut on the other edge to make the left wing, starting at the top left edge of the bread and moving downward and slightly inward. Move the bottom of the two cut triangles pieces away from the larger bread center to mimic wings on each side. Use cucumber rounds with black olive centers for the eyes and a triangular piece of cheese or carrot for the owl’s beak.
- Elephant pancakes. Cook two pancakes. Let them cool slightly. Place each on a flat plate. Your pancakes will serve as the elephants’ faces. On your plates, to the left and right of your pancake, shape elephant ears out of blueberries. Next, use two cut strawberries for eyes. Then, peel and slice a banana in half the long way and use each half to form long trunks.
- Food flowers. Place half of a cut green grape flat side down in the upper center of a large plate. Arrange mandarin oranges or sliced red grape halves (flat side down) to serve as flower petals. Use thin strips of cucumbers for the stems and add fresh basil or spinach to make the leaves.
A winning combination
Let’s face it, for kids, eating can be boring. So why not turn eating at Grandma and Grandpas into a game of playing and learning through the art of food crafting? Get grandkids involved in making their own creations from barnyard animals to silly faces and more! As you create, seize the opportunity to educate kids on food facts and flavors. Get them excited about smart eating, teach kitchen safety and encourage polite manners. In doing so, they will come away with an appreciation for crafting, healthy cuisine, and spending valuable time with you! Grandparents can help kids see that there is no limit to their imagination. As a bonus, plenty of enjoyment can be had when food crafting with grandkids.
For food art crafting ideas, visit The Creatives Hour or peruse Pinterest.
Click here to jump to AMAC’s article featuring three quick tips to babysitting grandkids.
