Spring is here! Whether you’re looking for a fun activity to do with kids while they’re home for Spring Break or hunting for afterschool activities for kiddos, MyPlate has you covered. Get kids excited about healthy eating with this easy kid-friendly activity that incorporates all five of the MyPlate food groups -- Fruits, Vegetables, Protein Foods, Dairy, and Grains!
STEP 1: Collect your supplies
Kids are more likely to enjoy healthy foods if they have a hand in making them, so be sure to get kids involved every step of the way. Take a field trip to a local farmers market to gather your supplies. You can even sneak in a little geography lesson by encouraging kids to focus on foods grown in your state. Bonus points if you can incorporate foods from your own garden!
For our spring scene, we used cucumbers, carrots, fresh strawberries, navel oranges, low-fat cheese sticks, air-popped popcorn, and sunflower seeds. Feel free to incorporate some foods you have at home to personalize your spring scene. You’ll also need a cutting board, a knife for cutting up fruits and veggies, and a plate for your canvas. Remember to wash your hands and produce before you start chopping!
STEP 2: Chop up your fruits and veggies
Grab your cutting board and paring knife. To create blades of grass, we sliced a cucumber and halved the slices. Our sun is a slice of orange, and the flower buds and petals are made from sliced strawberries. We also sliced a carrot and cut the slices into quarters to create sunrays.
STEP 3: Create your spring scene
Now it’s time to get creative – grab a plate and have the kids design their own spring scene! Want to show a little spring shower? After all, April showers do bring May flowers! Form clouds with popcorn and turn sunflower seeds into rain drops.
Create flowers using cheese sticks (or celery sticks!) for stems, and additional cucumber slices as leaves. You can make the flower buds and petals out of any number of tasty fruits or vegetables. Not a fan of strawberries? Slice up an orange, peach, or red bell pepper.
Want to enjoy a sunny day instead? One option is to make a sun out of an orange slice and use slices of carrot, quartered, for rays of sunlight.
STEP 4: Enjoy your tasty treat
The best part of this activity is getting to eat it at the end! This tasty snack can include all five food groups and provides a hands-on demonstration with foods that fit a healthy eating style. Kids can try new foods – and might discover some new favorites!
Check the MyPlate Facebook and Pinterest pages throughout April for additional ideas for spring food fun. You can find other spring resources and more activities to do with kids on ChooseMyPlate.gov.
