Attention Foodies! 5 Kid-Friendly Field Trips
Attention Foodies! 5 Kid-Friendly Field Trips
Looking for something fun—and educational—to do with the kiddos? Plan a food field trip!
Whether you take your children (or grandkids) apple picking or sign up for a kid-focused cooking class, you’ll not only score some quality bonding time, but you’ll also help educate them about food as well as instill a sense of appreciation of healthy eating.
Check your sked and then consider planning a visit to one of these places for a fun and yummy outing.
Where to? A Local Farm or Garden
Where to? A Local Farm or Garden
No, produce doesn’t grow in the grow-cery store (couldn’t resist). And you’d be surprised by how many kids don’t know this fact! Visiting a nearby farm or community garden is a great way for kids to learn where food really comes from. They will discover that plants start from just a tiny seed, and how in the right conditions, they flourish into wholesome and delicious fare. They’ll see how sunlight, soil, water and even worms all contribute to the growth of good-for-you foods. Not to mention, it could very well set them on the path to a lifetime of healthy eating. Not bad for a day’s work.
Assignment: Find three plants you have never seen before or pick up some seeds and start a garden of your own.
Where to? Produce Picking
Where to? Produce Picking
Depending on the season, you can load up on juicy peaches, sweet apples or plump blackberries. Enjoy them right off the tree or vine, or take your bounty home and use them in your favorite dishes (hello, apple pie!). Kids will learn the appropriate ways and times to harvest produce. And you’ll log plenty of exercise, to boot.
Assignment: Make a produce-packed treat using your freshly picked loot. Here are a few of my faves for inspiration:
Blueberry Nectarine Freeze Pops
Where to? Dairy Farm
Where to? Dairy Farm
Want to be an udderly cool parent? Plan a trip to the dairy farm. Your kids will learn where milk comes from and how the nutrient-packed drink helps to keep their bones growing strong. They may even have the chance to milk a cow themselves, care for and feed the animals, and score a milk mustache, too!
Assignment: Grab a jug of milk and make my Fruity Breakfast Milkshake.
Where to? Farmers Market or Grocery Store
Where to? Farmers Market or Grocery Store
A trip to the farmers market or even the grocery store is an easy outing to plan on short notice. In fact, some stores like Wegmans, Stop & Shop, Whole Foods and Giant offer guided programs for kids. If you don’t have access to these chains, simply browse the offerings at your local store, and quiz your kids about the options. You can even create a scavenger hunt with fun tasks like these:
- Ask an employee how they get the food to the supermarket.
- Pick up a vegetable you’ve never seen before and ask the produce manager to explain what it is and how it can be cooked.
- Find one sugary cereal and one wholesome, healthy cereal.
- Find a box of whole grain pasta in a favorite shape.
Assignment: At the end of your trip, identify five different healthy foods from each of the following groups: whole grains, dairy, fruit, veggies, and protein.
Where to? Cooking Class
Where to? Cooking Class
Put all of this newfound food knowledge to use by signing up for a local cooking class. It’s like the final step in the process—now that your kids have discovered how various foods came to be, they can learn how to use these ingredients to prepare a complete, healthy meal. Your local library or school district may offer a course. Or you check Sur La Table to see if they host a course in your neighborhood. Or simply Google “cooking class,” “kids” and your zip code to see what comes up. And of course, you could just create your own cooking class right at home using the kid-friendly recipes below.
Recipes Ideas for “Create-Your-Own Cooking Class”:
Assignment: Have your kids use the techniques they learned in class to prepare the healthy lunch or dinner of their choosing for the rest of your family!
