Have you ever looked at a piece of fruit or vegetable and been struck by how much it looks like an animal or a face? There are loads of examples of these on the internet.
What could be more fun than having a go at making an animal or person for yourself with your children or the children in your early years or school setting? It’s a great way to have fun with food and get children more confident handling fruit and veg. It also encourages them to learn about new fruit and veg and enjoy smelling and touching whilst exploring their creativity. Being more confident with food can make your child more likely to eat the food, especially if they are involved in the preparation of it and make it into a meal.
I guarantee that you will look at fruit and veg in a different way in the future. Why not let your children have a look at the fruit and veg you have at home and see if they can spot any faces or familiar shapes? If you are growing your own fruit and veg, let your children explore the fruit & veg and see if they can find anything unusual. It will help to teach them that fruit & veg grow into all different shapes and sizes.
In the meantime, I’ve got some ideas in this blog for things you can try making with children.
1. Spring onion people
These are made with peppercorns for eyes. You will need to push these in hard to get them to stay. For the spring onion on the right, I cut a small slit for the mouth and put some beetroot juice in for a red mouth. For the spring onion on the left, I cut a small slit and put in a pepper seed for a mouth. Older children can use a non-sharp knife for cutting under close adult supervision.
2. Lemon pigs
These are very easy to make. Just cut small slits for ears and push the flaps back. Lemons naturally have snouts for pigs so make sure you get the lemon the right way round. I’ve used peppercorns for eyes.
3. Fruit and Vegetable Monster
You can use any fruit and veg to make your monster. I recommend using toothpicks or wooden skewers to hold your monster together to give them stability. You could build your monster as a family activity.
You could also make a fruit and vegetable person. It could be your favourite pop star, mermaid, pirate or someone you know. Vegetable peelings, fruit peel, carrot tops, herbs and sweetcorn husks make great hair and outfits. Use tinned, fresh, frozen, fruit & veg you have grown yourself or seasonal fruit and veg. Using seasonal fruit and veg will mean that it is cheaper and more readily available. The taste will also be amazing! You can also use any fruit & veg scraps or leftovers you have. Let your imagination run wild!
These are some suggestions for activities I have done with other children but you can use whatever fruit and vegetables you have and let children create their own masterpiece! The most important thing to remember is to eat the fruit and veg afterwards and recycle any food waste.
