It’s Tasty Tuesday of NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child™, and to honor this fun day and to go along with our farm theme, we are going to be making rice cake pigs.
Snack time for preschoolers is much more than enjoying a tasty treat. It is a time for children to build independence and develop self-help skills. They pour their own milk or water (“pour with your strong hand and hold the cup with your helper hand”), pass items to their classmates, clear their place settings, clean up spills, and, in some instances, even prepare their own food!
For our pig snack, this morning, each child will served a plate containing all of the ingredients. They will use their fine motor skills to spread the cream cheese, with a plastic knife, and to assemble their pigs. So much fun! This snack would also be fitting for a fairy tales/nursery rhymes theme (Three Little Pigs).
INGREDIENTS USED:
– Rice cakes
– Strawberry cream cheese or cream cheese with food coloring
– Marshmallows
– Raisins
An engaging story and a colorful, tasty snack. Could there be a better way to introduce a new, slightly warmer month? We don’t think so; bring on the rainbows!
Start by reading a book about rainbows. There are so many wonderful ones to choose from. Two of our favorites are A Rainbow of My Ownby Don Freeman and What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Ann Shartz. A Rainbow of My Own is a heartfelt story about a little boy who imagines having a rainbow of his own and all the things that he would do with it. What Makes a Rainbow? is a brightly illustrated board book that teaches children about colors. It is perfect for younger children (toddlers) and will undoubtedly capture their attention as a rainbow of ribbons magically appear when the pages are opened.
Now it’s time for rainbow toast! This activity is so simple and the kids love it.
Place 4 drops of food coloring into each container. Add enough milk to obtain the amount needed. We filled our cups half way. During this step, be sure to discuss color mixing with your child/children. Demonstrate and talk about how yellow and green make blue, and how red and blue make purple.
Rainbow Toast
Let’s make our rainbows. Using a brush, gently paint the colors across the slice of bread. Monitor the amount of liquid used to avoid soggy, torn bread. When finished, toast to your liking. Spread with a little butter or margarine, and enjoy!
We're Gigi and Zoey. We teach a two-year program (preschool and pre-k), and we're passionate about Early Childhood Education and the philosophy that children learn through play. Our goal is to prepare children for kindergarten while making learning fun.
We hope that our resources inspire you, and that you will share them with your little ones.
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by Don Freeman and 
