Parenta Magazine July 2019

Fun summer food activities
As Nat King Cole once sang:
“Roll out those, lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer!”
Yes, summer has finally arrived, the mercury levels are rising on the thermometers and we can
look forward to a cool beverage after work as the nights get warm and balmy – (well, hopefully –
unless you’re off on the Parenta Trust Rally, the rest of us are still in the UK after all!)
Looking on the bright side, during summer, we often aim to take our children outside and just enjoy the wonderful weather and
let them feel the sun on their skin (with sunscreen of course!) and the sand between their toes. However, once you’ve built a
sandcastle fortress and run through the sprinklers a few times, why not try some of our alternative activities involving summer
food, to help fill those long, summer days? They may take a few minutes, or a few hours, but we hope they will give you a few
useful ideas for some seasonal fun.
1. De-core strawberries with a straw
Strawberries are best at this time of year; they’re plump, sweet and juicy; and they’re also
rich in vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and fibre so nutritious for little people too. But do
you know how to de-core a strawberry with a straw? No? Then prepare to be amazed.
Having washed your strawberries, hold the strawberry with the pointed end facing
down, then using a strong straw, place the straw on the pointed end and push the straw
upwards through the middle of the strawberry until it pokes out of the top, taking the
core and the top leaves with it. It’s a simple ‘hack’ but it works, and the best thing is
that the children in your setting can have great fun doing it too. The cored pieces look
like miniature ‘strawberry palm trees’ so you could make a food picture with these,
and of course, you’ll have plenty of delicious strawberries for a healthy snack as well!
2. Make an edible rainbow
This is a great way to encourage your youngsters to eat more fruit and vegetables and
teach them about the colours of the rainbow at the same time. Cut up some pieces of fruit
and vegetables of different colours and get the children to create their own ‘food rainbow’.
Below is a list of fruits and vegetables you could use for the different colours, but if you can
think of more, even better:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
Red apples, red peppers, chillies, tomatoes, cherries
Oranges, orange peppers, kumquat, peaches, tangerines, apricots, carrots
Bananas, yellow peppers, pineapples, grapefruits, lemons
Kiwi, green beans, broccoli, cucumber, peas, green apples, pears
Blueberries, raisins, prunes, elderberries
Purple artichokes, blackberries, acai berries, grapes
Plums, aubergines, figs, red cabbage, red onions
You could extend this activity to sing about rainbows too using some popular nursery
rhymes and teach the children the names of the items you are using.
3. Make your own ice lollies
Everyone loves an ice lolly on a hot summer day and children will love helping to make
them. You can buy some lolly moulds and sticks easily in any household store and for a
quick and simple lolly, make up some fruit squash, use fruit juices or yoghurts, putting
them in the freezer to set. However, why stop there? There are some great recipes on
the internet; see this website for some unusual ones such as avocado and coconut,
fruit salad ice-pops, and traffic light lollies. Or get the children to experiment and see
what they come up with!
5. Make a summer smoothie
4. Make a picnic and visit a local park
Summer would not be summer without a picnic, but you don’t have to rely on the old
‘sandwiches and cake’ anymore. The list of picnic-friendly fare has been expanding over
the years, and now, people take just about anything on a picnic, so think wraps, exotic
salads and quail’s eggs! Some of our favourites can be found here but be warned -
visiting this page can make your mouth seriously water! The great thing is that they are
all cheap and easy to make with younger children. And if you are going to the local park
for your picnic, remember to take along a blanket and some suitable bird food to feed
the ducks too!
Smoothies are great for younger children as they are often used to drinking milk, so you
could switch to making a smoothie every once in a while, to add some extra nutrition or
some hidden vegetables if children are resistant to eating vegetables. A basic smoothie
recipe would consist of:
• Milk or a milk alternative like soya or rice milk
• ½ mashed banana
• An extra portion of fruit such as strawberries, blueberries or raspberries
• Some ‘hidden’ vegetables such as kale, spinach or summer squash
Put all the ingredients into a blender or smoothie-maker or use a hand-held blender
to create a smooth mixture.
6. Make fruit kebabs
Fruit kebabs are fun to make but ensure that the children are well supervised if you
are using skewers. Cut up some ripe summer fruits and get the children to make fruit
‘kebabs’ by pushing the fruit onto the skewers. You could mix up the colours, create
another rainbow, or have different themes such as ‘all red’ or your favourite football
team colours.
Whatever you do this summer, we hope these ideas will keep you active and
healthy! Let us know what you make by emailing us.
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