Parent-Child Activities
1. Plant a garden. Nothing tastes as good as fresh fruits and vegetables. Consider planting a garden – even if you only have room for one or two items – to help educate kids about how things are grown. Kids will learn the ins and outs of caring for the plants for several weeks or months (have them water the garden frequently, pull weeds and watch for fruit and vegetables to sprout). They’ll discover how to tell when different items have matured (when tomatoes turn bright red or when the orange part of the carrot top starts to peek from the dirt) and will love getting to pick their own produce. Then, serve up your tasty treasures as a part of lunch or dinner so kids can see the rewards of their hard work.
2. Cook with your kids. Most kids love to help by washing produce, stirring a salad or setting the table. Older kids can help chop, dice or shred vegetables and fruits for a meal. Have younger kids help with simple tasks like dishing out applesauce or washing off baking potatoes, poking them with a fork and wrapping them in foil for baking. Consider letting your kids choose the menu one night a week (with your guidance, of course).
3. Eat meals together. Studies show that eating as a family helps kids perform better in school and makes them less likely to fall victim to substance abuse. A study from Time.com reports that “kids who eat most often with their parents are 40 percent more likely to say they get mainly A’s and B’s in school than kids who have two or fewer family dinners a week,” according the article titled “The Magic of the Family Meal.” Not only does sharing a family table enhance your parent-child relationship, but it also allows you to monitor kids’ eating habits and present healthy food choices.
4. Take your kids grocery shopping. It may sound like a mundane task, but grocery shopping is an essential part of meal planning and preparation. The more your kids know about healthy food choices like fresh fruits and veggies, the more likely they’ll be to develop good eating habits as adults. Let your kids pick out one fruit and one vegetable to try for the week, and no matter what they choose, make sure you try some too.
5. Visit a produce farm. Take the kids to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard to harvest their own fruits and veggies. Younger kids will love the novelty of the adventure; older kids will begin to develop an appreciation for how their food makes it to the table. Many operations allow kids to see how the produce is processed, most offer locally grown products like ciders, jams, jellies or cobbler mix, and many distribute their own recipes for you to try at home with the kids.
6. Take a cooking class with your kids. Many communities offer classes to help boost your meal repertoire or to teach new ways of preparing a commodity. Chefs or dieticians may demonstrate different ways to use mainstream items or educate you about special varieties of produce like the blood orange or pluot. Scope out the offerings at your local community college or culinary school, or watch for free classes offered by a local supermarket.
7. Pack a picnic. Skip the fast-food lunch on the weekends. Instead, prepare a homemade picnic and head for the park. Pack baby carrots, celery sticks, apples, grapes or bananas for a lunch side dish and toss in dried fruit for a snack. Your kids will have fun on a playground, kicking around a ball or throwing a Frisbee (and they won’t even know it’s exercise!).
8. Find a fun way to use up leftovers. Sometimes produce can be just plain fun. For instance, kids can use an extra raw potato to make a natural stamp. Cut the potato exposing a flat edge, then have kids carve away a design (like a star, a circle, or even something elaborate). Dip the “stamp” in paint and let your kids create their own art. For younger kids, slice off a piece of sweet corn – have them dip the ends in paint to create instant flower stamps.
