We say ‘play with your food’ and get your kids to have fun while eating! By transforming what they may be consider to be ‘boring’ healthy fruit and veggies into crafty snacks, you start getting your kids to use their imaginations, learn about food and start creating positive associations with healthy foods. We’ve compiled some fun crafty ideas to get you started:
Catapillar grapes:
You’ll need:
- A big bunch of green grapes
- Skewers
- Chocolate chips
- White icing
Grab a skewer and slide on the grapes until the skewer is full. Then add chocolate chips for eyes using a little icing and voila – these healthy monsters will disappear in no time!
Sally Strawberry mice:
You’ll need:
- A punnet of strawberries
- Black icing
- Strawberry liquorice
- Almond flakes.
Remove the green stems from each strawberry. Slice a small slice from one side of each strawberry so it will sit flat on the plate. Use the black writing icing to stick a choc chip on the pointy end as a nose. Use the writing icing to create eyes. Poke 2 slots with a sharp knife and slide in 2 almond flakes as ears per mouse. Use a skewer to poke a hole into the berry and slide in the licorice as a tail. Cut the cheese into wedges and serve with the strawberry mice.
Benny Banana palm trees:
You’ll need:
- 1 banana
- 1 naartjie
- 2 kiwi fruit
Peel the banana and cut it down the centre lengthways. On a chopping board cut each half into 1.5 cm slices. Slide your knife underneath the banana slices and place them onto the plate. Arrange them as two tree trunks. Peel the naartjie, and separate the segments. On the plate, place the segments in rows below the banana to create an island. Peel the skin off the kiwi fruit and cut into small segments. Place above the banana ‘tree trunks’ to look like palm leaves.
Adam Apple Race Cars:
You’ll need:
- 2 – 4 apples
- 8 – 16 grapes
- Lots of toothpicks
Gather all ingredients. Cut two full cheeks from each apple. Slice out the centre third so you have a wedge. Slip 2 toothpicks into each apple wedge to become the car axles. Place grape halves on each side of the toothpick for wheels. Zoom off to fruity fun!
Olly Orange Fishies:
You’ll need:
- An orange
- A handful of blueberries
- A couple of strawberries
- 1 baby carrot
Slice the orange longways so that you have a whole, thin, circular slice. Place the slice on the plate. Place a blueberry as the fish’s eye on top of the orange. Using your knife, slice some little mouths out of the strawberry. Place these little mouths on your fishies. Using your knife, slice your baby carrot into thin slices. Place two slices on each fishie for a fish tail. Finally, add some blueberry fish bubbles to the plate.
