The infants have been working with the pretend food in the classroom lately. To expand on this interest the educators have been providing different cooking experiences. This month they made green juice. Educators found a recipe that was age appropriate and simple. The infants were excited when they saw new food items being brought into the room. Arlo signed “eat.” Nathan pointed at the food on the counter and said, “eat?” Educator Kiva told them, “yes, we’re going to make green juice.” The infants each chose a chair at the snack tables and waited to see what as next. Educators offered each child a cup of spinach, apple, cucumber and lemon to try. Nathan and Theo were the first to taste the lemon. Their lips puckered when they put the lemon in their mouths. “Is it sour?” Kiva asked. “Sour,” Nathan replied. “Mmmm,” Theo said. “Do you like the sour lemon?” Kiva asked. Theo took another bite and made another satisfied sound. Esme focused on tasting the cucumber. She held it in her fist and used it as a natural teether. Everyone took bites of the spinach, though it did not seem to be anyone’s favourite food.
After the tasting the infants got to work cutting up the ingredients and placing everything into the blender. Using the child safe knife, each child had a chance to cut up apples and cucumber. As they worked they sang, “Chop the apples. Chop, chop the apples.” to the tune of “Go Bananas.” Once everything was in the blender, educator Katie added water. “Ok this might be loud,” she warned them as she turned it on. “Wooooah,” Theo said with a surprised look on his face. “Do you see the blender mixing everything up?” Kiva asked. “Mix, mix, mix,” the infants chanted. Once it was a smooth consistency, the educators poured the juice into cups and offered one to each child. Theo took a sip from the open cup and then decided to use his hand to eat it. Nathan and Luca dumped their juice out on the table and attempted to lick it off. To make this process easier, the educators offered them small paper cups and spoons. They sat for an extended period of time, scooping the green mush into their mouths. “Yummy!” Nathan shouted. Slowly each infant let the educators know they were all done. Luca and Nathan stayed at the table until all of the juice was gone. Educators took this as a sign that the “juice” mixture was a hit!
Based on the excitement and participation, it seems like the infants enjoy cooking and tasting new foods. They are also practicing self feeding skills and real-life skills (cutting fruit).
Next, we may try some new fruit or vegetables that we have not had before. We might also bring out the child safe knives again to practice more chopping. What recipes should the infants try next?
