Favorite Kids’ Fruit and Vegetable Cooking Activities

There’s a lot to be learned when you get kids cooking! In keeping with the theme of “Fruits & Veggies-More Matters” month, I want to share with you some of my favorite kids’ cooking activities using fruits and vegetables. Whether you teach in a classrooom, lead a group like Girl Scouts or 4-H cooking projects, or just want to show your own kids how fun cooking healthy food can be, here are some great online resources to refer to:

• Healthy Cooking with Your Kids – Produce for Better Health Foundation: fruit and vegetable recipes, tips, and more
• Chef Solus – Nourish Interactive: cooking game with lesson plan and more
• Kids in the Kitchen – Junior League: recipes and video cooking demos of Fruity Kebabs, Trail Mix, and more
• LANA Preschool Program – Learning ZoneXpress: tasting and cooking activities like Fruity Bugs and Veggie Bagel Face and more
• The Thrill of Skill and other Educator Resources  – Home Baking Association: cooking skills activities and checklists, recipes like Pumpkin Pancakes and Apple Dumplings, and more

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5 Kids Activities for Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Month

September is Fruits and Veggies-More Matters Month! Find out how to help kids celebrate with these fun challenges and activities:

1. Take the Eat Your Colors Challenge -this is from a My Healthy Challenge monthly publication, which includes 5 challenges to eat your colors. Challenge yourself and challenge the kids. For more info, click here: http://www.healthykidschallenge.com/newsletter-signup
2. Join America’s More Matters Pledge to Fight Childhood Obesity – From the Produce for Better Health Foundation, pledge to improve your own fruit and veggie intake, your family’s, or your school’s. Got to http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=12135
3. Take the MyPlate Makeover Challenge – Consumers can upload a snapshot of their meal plate, showing how they made half of it fruits & veggies, to the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Facebook page. Receive a coupon and be entered in a drawing for a free weekly $100 grocery gift card!
4. Use the Eat a Tasty Rainbow activity pages – for kids 5 and under, and kids 6 and over. These are from the Colorful Plates section of the Healthy Balance Toolkit  http://www.cigna.com/health_money/healthyKids/families.html
5. Try the CDC’s recommended “30 Ways in 30 Days to Stretch Your Fruit & Vegetable Budget”.  Involve kids in trying all the ways they can eat healthier AND stay within a budget. http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/publications/index.html

Throughout September I’ll be posting anything and everything to do with kids and fruits & veggies – favorite online resources, blogs, recipes, and more. Send me your favorites and I’ll include them too!

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