What they’ll get out of it…
- Knowledge of the Food Pyramid.
- Your child will be able to be imaginative – and adventurous – when they choose unfamiliar foods for your family to enjoy.
- Hands on fun while drawing the complete dishes on paper plates with crayon. Your child can even draw and cut out the fork/spoon/knife they’ll need to make their dinner complete.
What you’ll need…
- Paper plates
- A copy of the latest version of the Food Pyramid
- A list of fun and original recipes your children have come up with. The more foods your children choose that aren’t already part of your diets, the better!
- Crayons
- Washable Watercolor paints (because they’re easier to deal with!)
Directions…
- Spend some time with your children teaching them the importance of the food pyramid and about a healthy diet. Here is a breakdown of the number of servings recommended in each category per day: 6 grain, 3 vegetable, 2 fruit, 2 meat, 2 milk, and limited fats and sweets.
- Identify foods that you eat now and some that your family has never tasted. With your children’s help, put them into the different food categories. Ask family, friends, fellow homeschoolers, and even check out the internet for new ideas for ethnic dishes, locally grown produce, or other foods your children seem interested in. The list should include several different foods in each category.
- Have your children plan out delicious and well balanced meals from your lists of foods. Here comes the fun part! Have your children draw fun and realistic pictures of their chosen meals on a paper plate with Crayons. Be sure the kids get creative and fancy when they’re drawing and maybe even pretend that the dishes are for a fancy restaurant. You can even give awards for the best presentation!
- Cover your table or sit where a little marker won’t hurt anything and use Washable Watercolors and Watercolor Brushes to give your plates fun textures and designs. The wax in the crayons will resist the paint, and your children’s crayon drawings will come alive before your eyes! Set them aside to dry.
- On another paper plate, you can draw the forks and spoons you need to eat each meal. After you cut out each utensil put them with your dishes and now you have meals that are fit for a king!
Ideas: You can make some of these great new meals at home for your family to enjoy. Who knows, with some luck you may even have help planning future nutritious meals!