- Anytime you are handling food, wash your hands. Have the children wash their hands with soap, scrubbing between fingers and underneath fingernails. Show the children how to properly wash the produce. Wash before peeling to reduce the amount of bacteria. Use a vegetable brush to scrub away any dirt. Chlorine washes don't remove much more bacteria. The adult needs to peel, cut or dice up the produce. Clean off the knife or peeler before moving on to another fruit or vegetable.
- Salad uses a variety of vegetables and is versatile. Cut or tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Cut up tomatoes, onions, cabbage, carrots and any other salad-friendly vegetables. Have children put the ingredients in a large bowl. Have one child toss the salad. Let children serve the salad, if possible.
Salsa is fun and easy to make. Dice up several tomatoes, peppers and onion. The amount you will need depends on how many you are serving. Have children mix the ingredients together. To make it more educational, teach them about where salsa comes from. - After simple recipes are mastered, move on to basic baking.
A fruit pizza lets children express creativity. Have each child bring in or choose an ingredient. You will need sugar cookie dough and cream cheese. For every 10 people, use two rolls of cookie dough and two bars of cream cheese. Have children spread the cookie dough on a pan. Bake according to the instructions on the package. While the crust is baking, set out the cream cheese to soften. Let the dough cool. While waiting for the crust to cool, help children cut up their ingredients into bite-sized pieces. Help children spread the cream cheese once the crust is cool. Each child sprinkles on an ingredient. They can scatter it everywhere or make a design. Children learn teamwork by deciding how to arrange the ingredients.
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