The sun is shining. The days are longer. The kids are all outside. This means just one thing. SUMMERTIME! One of the best things about the summer has got to be all the garage and yard sales. They are an absolute treasure trove of goodies and perfect to find things to help with learning all about eating. What? Garage sales help with eating? Yep. That’s what I said. Here’s how.
Kids learn through play and practice. This applies to eating as well. The more kids play with and talk about food the more adventurous they often become. Some ways to incorporate play with food are fairly obvious, like using play kitchens and pretend food. Kids love to pretend to cook and serve their friends, family and toys. Well, I encourage you to raise the bar a little and bring that play outside. This is where my love of garage sales and my love of all things speech, language and feeding therapy come together.
I love to take “real” kitchen items and bring them outside to play. None of us want to sacrifice our “good dishes” to outside play, so instead grab a couple bucks and head out to your local garage sales. Load up on “real” mixing bowls, old cookie sheets and cake pans, muffin tins, spatulas, whisks, spoons and my personal favorite, tongs. Have a special basket or tote for these and keep them outside. Find an area in your yard to “cook.” Some of my favorite ingredients include dirt, sand, mulch, rocks, leaves, sticks, water, grass, weeds, etc. Give the kids a bowl of water, or if you’re really adventurous a hose, and let the fun begin. Not only is it a great way to talk about different foods and ingredients is perfect for sensory play and practicing things like scooping, pouring, holding utensils, squeezing tongs, carrying, balance, etc. Some favorite menu items at my own kids’ summer “restaurants” included: muffins, mud pies, cupcake wars, pizza, sushi, salad, popsicles, ice cream cones, etc.
Let us know some of your kids’ favorite creations in their summer restaurant and most importantly have fun!
~ Tricia