3.15.2012

Create a Plate

Sweet Phee has been sick all week. Last night, after dinner, the exhausted kid was asking to paint which neither one of us was actually up to tackling. So, I sorted through my tired mommy brain and came up with a quick project that would satisfy her and fit with her sick-kid attention span.

Create a plate to explore healthy meals, or pair it with a book for a themed feast! - www.lifeinrandombits.com

I'm pretty sure I've seen something like this somewhere in the last few years and it's something I just filed away for later. It's a very flexible, fun project that could fit different criteria for a range of ages. For toddlers, it's just a fun way to explore food and get to play with stickers. Phee loves sticking stickers on paper.

For older kids this could be an exploration of healthy food choices and creating balanced meals. Or, perhaps you have a garden or frequent the farmer's market. In that case, this would be a fun project to talk about what foods are in season at any given time of the year. If your kids have a play kitchen, try laminating the plates for them to play with later. Another fun way to use this project is paired with a book, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Cut out, or even print out, pictures of the foods in the story and let kids create their own book-themed feast!

One of the best parts? You probably have all the supplies you need lying around the house right now.

Create a plate to explore healthy meals, or pair it with a book for a themed feast! - www.lifeinrandombits.com

Supplies
  • old magazines (best are those that contain recipes)
  • scissors
  • glue or some sort of adhesive
  • paper plates
  • packing tape
Directions
  • Cut out pictures of food items from the magazines
  • Glue them onto the plate
  • Use the packing tape to laminate the plate

Laminating the plate may be tricky depending on how rounded and raised the edges of your paper plates are. For toddlers, you probably will want to do the gluing yourself and let them do the sticking. Older kids, of course, can do it all.

That's it! A super simple, fun project for many ages. Kids love to cut, paste and flip through magazines and this lets them do it all!

Create a plate to explore healthy meals, or pair it with a book for a themed feast! - www.lifeinrandombits.com