Today’s kindergarten readiness learning and fun play-of-the-day is brought to you by the Easter bunny, who has a snack in his basket. Somehow, despite all the other foods that rabbits eat, when asked most kids will say they eat carrots. This Easter bunny shares a snack of some carrots, celery, and dip.
Most kids love to help in the kitchen. While peeling carrots and cutting sticks is a job for big adult hands, kid hands can stir up a little dip or spoon some into a small container. This origami bunny is made out of paper so he’d better only hop the dip to the table. Including kids in cooking and food preparation is one way of interesting them in what they are eating. Why do bunnies eat rabbit food? So they are healthy bunnies.
As kids help in the kitchen, they are practicing various skills:
- using language for directions and explaining,
- doing things in sequence, for example the veggies need to get washed first,
- developing a sense of self-worth as they take care of their bodies by eating nutritious food,
- cooperating and working together, sharing and taking turns,
- strengthening fine-muscles by stirring, dipping,
- learning about safety such as letting grownups use sharp items and more
This is an activity where learning piggy-backs onto something that families are already doing. Neither the to-do list or the budget had to get stretched. In a way, the learning is like an extra ingredient, or maybe an extra treat from the Easter bunny?