Have you ever made Ants on a Log or Teddy Bear Toast? Snack time is a favorite for most Cloverbuds, so why not make it fun and healthy at the same time! Young children may be a picky when it comes to food. Making snacks together at a meeting can make the snacks more appealing and aid in the discussion of MyPlate and the importance of eating healthy.
Ants on a Log is a simple recipe with three ingredients: celery, peanut butter, and raisins. Clean the celery and c
ut it into approximately three-inch pieces. Fill the grooved center of each celery slice with peanut butter to fill your “log”. Now, add your raisins or “ants” and your Ants on a Log is ready to eat. Be sure to provide each youth with their own supplies including a plastic knife they can use to spread their own peanut butter. Have a picky eater in your group who does not like one of the ingredients or a member with a food allergy? Check out some alternative ingredients at https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/ants-log/.
Teddy Bear Toast is a simple recipe with four ingredients: Bread, peanut butter or butter,
bananas, and blueberries. Toast a slice of bread. Spread peanut butter or butter on the toast. Peel a banana and cut three ½ inch round slices of bananas – place one in the center of the toast as the nose and use the other two as the ears, one in each of the upper corners of the toast. Wash three blueberries and place one in the center of the nose and use the other two as eyes. Place them just above the nose in the peanut butter.
Continue your lesson by teaching about MyPlate and the 5 food groups that will help keep your members healthy. Check out free activities at https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/kids. For example, you can have the members color their own MyPlate based on the five food groups and then ask them where the ingredients from their snack come from on the plate. Help your members make the connection from their healthy snack to healthy choices to fill their plate.
Educating Cloverbuds about the importance of MyPlate and eating a variety of healthy foods will give them a firm foundation for healthy nutrition throughout their lifespan.