healthy eating

Eating While Reading? Check.

USING A BELOVED BOOK TO ENCOURAGE HEALTHY EATING

It’s hard to find a kid, a mom and dad or even a grandma and grandpa who don’t know Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

In fact, 2019 will mark the 50^th anniversary of the publication of this beloved picture book, in which a little egg hatches into a tiny (and very hungry!) caterpillar.

After eating his way through five days of delicious fruits, our intrepid caterpillar eats so many things on the sixth day—most of them decidedly not healthy—that he develops a stomachache. He is no longer a little caterpillar, either. He is a big, fat caterpillar. And he won’t be that for long….

A “DADDY BLOGGER” TALKS ABOUT KIDS & HEALTHY EATING

I met John S. Green, a.k.a. “Papa Green Bean,” in a local writers’ group and was immediately drawn to his puckish sense of humor. Papa Green Bean is, among other things, a poet, a scholar and a Montessori-trained teacher.

(Okay, so he looks more like a bottle of sriracha sauce than a green bean in this photo, but he can be forgiven–he’s a dad and it was Halloween!)

John’s blog, Papa Green Bean: Sharing Simple Insights for Nurturing Young Children, is thoughtful, playful and relevant for parents who want to raise their kids into “cheerful, curious, creative, and confident individuals.” And don’t we all?

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: A RECIPE FOR SUMMER FUN

Have you ever wished for a magic wand you could wave over your kids to get them to actually like eating healthy foods? Magic Fruit Wands just might do the trick!

There’s nothing like time in the kitchen to get kids’ mouths watering–especially when they’re helping to put together something as easy, fun and fresh as these magic wands made out of fruit. The best part is that after you’ve cut up the larger fruits, your kids can make these special treats almost entirely on their own.

The recipe is adapted from weelicious.com, where chef Catherine McCord reigns supreme. It’s a marvelous site, filled with healthy, kid-friendly recipes of all kinds. I’ve signed up to get posts in my inbox on a regular basis. I think you’ll like it too!

HEALTHY FOOD IN LIVING COLOR: MOUTH-WATERING WATERMELON

Watermelon’s distinctive striped outer shell and the rich color of its flesh make it a fun food for coloring. But before you get the red crayon out, take your kids to this UCLA Science and Food website post on watermelon to show them the fruit comes in other colors, too. Who knew?!

According to the article, a watermelon’s flavor has a lot to do with its color. A yellow Early Moonbeam, a pale Cream of Saskatchewan and a deep red Crimson Sweet have noticeably different flavors, for example.

10 FUN FACTS ABOUT WATERMELON

What’s more refreshing on a hot summer day than a slice of juicy watermelon? Yum!

Here’s a list of fun facts about watermelon to share with your kids:

1. Watermelon is well named–it’s 92% water!

2. This watery fruit is thought to have originated in Africa’s Kalahari Desert. (The desert would be a good place to stumble across a watermelon, no?)