Cooking

Back to School in the Kitchen with Cloverbuds

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What a busy time of year as youth start back to school.  As schedules get busier with school events and activities, Cloverbud age youth can help in a variety of ways, especially in the kitchen.

Cloverbud age youth want to help.  For instance, you can pack lunches together.  Allow the youth to select a fruit or vegetable for their lunch.  When you are at the grocery, see if they can find a fruit or vegetable they have not tried.  Encourage them to help you make a snack.  Or do you have a garden so you can try a new recipe that includes some vegetables you grew?

Cloverbud age youth enjoy planning a menu, and possibly even making a meal.  When families ask youth to be part of the decision-making process, their self-esteem is higher since that gives youth a sense of accomplishment.

Cooking can help children develop those important math, language, art, fine motor development skills and more.  They are having fun while learning.  Children can also be creative in the kitchen when cooking.  Allow them to decorate a pizza for dinner or make kebabs. Give them the option what to put on the pizza and kebabs.

For a variety of healthy recipes, visit MyPlate.

A fun recipe in my house with a Cloverbud is kebabs.  My daughter loves to pick out what color peppers we are going to use, the tomatoes, mushrooms, meat, and more.  She loves to put the food items on the kebabs.  It can easily be changed or adapted to meet family needs and preferences.

Have fun with your Cloverbud age youth and try something new this fall!

 

All images are from stock.adobe.com.

Cloverbuds and School Lunches

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Welcome Back to School

 Welcome Back to School surrounded by several different colored pencils in bright colors

Fall is rapidly approaching and that means the beginning of school is right around the corner. This is such an exciting time for your Cloverbud! A new classroom and teacher, and an opportunity to sit with friends and enjoy lunch together.

Many parents struggle with questions about school lunches. Sometimes it’s difficult to decide what to pack. Should your Cloverbud buy lunch, or should they pack? Do you have time to pack their lunch each day? Plus, it can be difficult to come up with healthy foods they will eat. Then there’s the challenge of packing food that will taste good hours later. You need to consider food safety, food allergies, picky eaters, short lunch periods, and not wanting to waste food. All these things together can be downright overwhelming!

Buying lunches can help take some of the pressure off. When deciding on whether to pack or buy, begin with buying lunch one or two days a week when you know there will be foods your Cloverbud likes to eat. As the year goes on, your Cloverbud will see other foods and decide whether to try them or switch days to buy. This can help streamline the week, remove a few days of packing from your schedule, and allow children to try new foods for a relatively low cost.

If you’re brand new to the world of school lunches or looking to find new ideas, here are some tips to remember when deciding whether to pack your Cloverbud’s lunch.

Keep it simple! There are many new things going on and lunchtime can provide familiar comfort. Avoid foods your Cloverbud has never seen or tasted before. Now is not the time to try to be a superhero. Other students will not judge you or your child for having chips instead of celery and carrot sticks that look nice but won’t be eaten. You do not need to be a gourmet chef or spend tons of time in the kitchen to put together lunches your Cloverbud will enjoy. Ask for feedback. Did your Cloverbud have enough time to eat their lunch during their lunch period? Do they need more to eat? Was there anything that didn’t taste good?

Practice. Practice packing and eating from the lunchbox a few days before school starts. Check to see if the school prefers all disposable items in the lunchbox. Many children are focused on things other than remembering which containers to throw away or bring home.

Keep a list. To reduce decision making fatigue and to remember what foods are good, keep a physical list on the fridge. Be sure to decide on this list before school starts so shopping trips can be easier.

Food allergies. If your Cloverbud has a food allergy, discuss lunchroom set up with their school. Set-up may vary on a case-by-case basis and can change from one building to the next. Communication with the school is key.

Image of the five good groups: dairy, protein, fruits, vegetables, and grains

Image of the five good groups: dairy, protein, fruits, vegetables, and grains

Mix it up. Do your best to include food from all food groups. Short lunch periods and picky eating habits may dictate this. Do your best to provide a healthy lunch that your Cloverbud will enjoy.

Prep when you can. Some sandwiches can be made a few days in advance. Add condiments the morning of. Sides can be measured, chopped, or sorted at the beginning of the week. Involve your Cloverbud as much as possible in lunch preparation. Prepping in advance allows your Cloverbud to pick out items from each food group and to pack their own lunch.

Adjust as needed. You may have to adjust your ideas a time or two in the first few weeks. That is normal, especially when Cloverbuds find new foods they like.

There is no right or wrong way to approach a school lunch. Through trial and error, you will discover what works best for you and your Cloverbud. Remember, school is about learning, and you can learn about healthy lunches right along with your Cloverbud!

Have a great school year!

Making Snack Time Fun and Healthy

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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 cut 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.

 

 

 

A Long Winter’s Nap

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Yaawwnnn! These cold winter days make me feel lazy and sleepy. I just want to hibernate.

Hibernate? What is hibernate?

Hibernation is how animals save energy to survive harsh weather conditions or lack of food. When hibernating, an animal’s heartbeat and breathing slows down and its body temperature drops.

We usually think of bears when we think of hibernation. They eat up during the summer, putting on the extra pounds that they will need for their winter nap. They prepare a special place to hibernate — a bed lined with leaves and twigs. When winter sets in, the bears curl up in their dens and go without eating, drinking, or exercising for as long as 100 days!

While we probably are not going to hibernate for 100 days, we can have some hibernation fun. We can “bear-ly” wait for you to try!

First, we should prepare a snack to store some energy for our body. Let’s make some energy balls.

Next step, we need to make our den. Grab some blankets and cover a table that you can fit under. Bears like cozy little spots that are not too big. Make sure the inside is dark for excellent sleeping. Put your favorite pillow and blanket in your den. You might want to bring along a teddy bear to share the fun!

We probably should do a little exercise before we go into our den. Let’s do 10 toe touches, reach up to the sky as high as you can 5 times, and of course, we must do a quick bear walk!

Although most of the time you may be sleeping, you might want to bring along something fun if you are not ready to sleep. You can even put a flashlight in your den to help you see better. Here is a coloring page for you or how about a book to read?  Can you find a book about bears?

Are you feeling sleepy yet? If not, grab a piece of paper and write the word “HIBERNATION”. Can you find the letters inside that word to make these words – bear, ate, ran, ton, not, hear, near? Can you find any other words from those letters?

Yaawwnnn! Time for that winter nap. See you this spring!

*This activity is written as a stay-at home Cloverbud activity, but creative club volunteers may want to gather supplies to have their members design a large multi bear den and complete the activities, including making the snacks.

Photo credit for Favorite Books about Bears and Hibernation graphic: pre-kpages.com

 

Cloverbuds in the Kitchen

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During this time of virtual learning and meeting remotely, it may feel difficult to keep Cloverbud members engaged during club meetings or find activities they can do virtually. A great activity for Cloverbuds is to encourage them to help with a simple recipe. A club favorite is making chocolate chip cookies which teaches younger members kitchen basics, such as measuring, as well as how to follow directions.

Use the recipe below and write each step out on a note card.  You can number them on the back in order to make sure the steps are correct. Once you have all the steps written, lay the cards out and ask the members to read the cards with you. Remember that some of the words may be new to younger members and they may need your help reading.  After reading all the cards, ask the members to put the steps in order. Use the cards to match the ingredient to each step. If you have Cloverbuds in the kitchen with you, this is a step that will keep little hands busy while waiting to mix the cookies.

After all the steps are lined up and the ingredients matched, have Cloverbuds help you add the ingredients and make the cookies. If you are using this activity while meeting in person, you can have each member take turns adding an ingredient.

While cookies are baking, you can talk to Cloverbuds about MyPlate https://www.choosemyplate.gov/, the importance of proper nutrition, and why cookies should only be a treat in our daily diets.

If your members have the “My 4-H Cloverbud Year” activity book, here are some suggested phrases they can record for this activity:

  • We made chocolate chip cookies.
  • We learned to work together.
  • We learned to share.
  • We learned how to take turns.
  • We learned to measure ingredients.
  • We learned to read new words.
  • We followed directions.

Working with Food Allergies in the 4-H Club Meeting

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Food allergies can be very serious, especially among children. With so many young children being diagnosed with food allergies, it is very important that all understand what to look for.  According to the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), one in every 13 children is being diagnosed with a food allergy and every three minutes, a food allergy sends someone to the emergency room.

FARE states that there are eight major food allergens which causean estimated 90% of all allergens.  These foods include: egg, milk, peanut, tree nuts(almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios), soy, fish, wheat, crustacean shellfish(crab, lobster, crayfish, and shrimp).  These are the allergens which typically cause the most serious food allergy reactions but there are more than 170 foods known to cause allergic reactions.

If your county utilizes online enrollment, please encourage 4-H parents to put any kind of health consideration into 4-H Online when completing their child’s enrollment.  Health forms for camp must also be fully completed.  This is the first, and sometimes only, way to find out this information. Volunteers need to be aware of any food allergies which put children at risk.

Think about club meetings and snacks.  Make sure all parents know of any foods that must be avoided.  This needs to be enforced at the club meetings so there is never a chance of an allergic reaction.

A great option would be to serve fruits or vegetables at the meeting.  Typically, these are not common allergens among children.  This would also promote healthier eating at club meetings.  Cloverbuds love to help make food. What are some snacks that are appropriate for them to help prepare?  Some fun ideas include a relish tray, fruit tray, hummus, ants on a log, guacamole, or animals made out of fruit/vegetables.  Have fun and be creative.  Don’t know where to begin?  Check the library or do a search on line.  And be mindful of serving healthy drinks as well such as water, 100% juice, or unsweetened tea.

For more information on food allergies, please visit www.foodallergy.org.

Cooking with Cloverbuds: Apples, Apples, and More Apples!

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Everyone loves apples!  And fall is a great time to check out all the varieties of apples available.  Cloverbuds will have their favorite but bring in different kinds of apples for a tasting party.  Before you show them the apples read the story The Little Red House with No Doors and No Window and a Star Inside. Here is a link to the story: https://www.ncagr.gov/agscool/commodities/redhouse.htm

See if they can guess the answer to the riddle before you finish the story.  After you show them the star inside the apple, let your Cloverbuds taste the other varieties of apples you brought and let them decide which kind is their favorite by making an apple graph.

Below are some other apples activities and recipes to enjoy.

Activity 1:  Apple Science

When apples are exposed to air they start to turn brown. Try experimenting with kitchen ingredients and see which items will work so apples do not turn brown.

You will need: milk, baking soda mixed with water, vinegar, lemon juice, 6 small bowls, knife for cutting the apples and of course apples.  In small bowls put each of the ingredients and leave one bowl with nothing.

Cut up your apples and place them in the bowls. Pour each ingredient over the apples and wait and see what happens. (While waiting you could read a story about How Apples Grow by Betsy Maestro or choose any book about apples.) Check on your apples and see which item worked best. Discuss with your Cloverbuds why they think one worked better than another.

Activity 2: Apple Art

Use your apple star and dip in paint to have Cloverbuds make apples creatures. You will need paint, construction paper, markers, paper towels for clean-up, and plastic bag paint shirts to protect clothes.

Activity 3: Apple Snacks

  • Apples sandwiches – Cut apple in round slices so you can see the star. Cut out the middle with the seeds. Spread with peanut butter, hazelnut spread or cream cheese. Fill with raisins, chocolate chips, coconut or whatever snack you would like.
  • Apple Pie in a Cup – Layer in a cup diced apples, graham cracker, and whipped topping. Don’t forget the caramel topping.
  • Yogurt Delight –Layer apples in a cup and top with yogurt. You can add sprinkles too.

Let the fun begin as you explore the world of apples with your Cloverbuds!

Cooking with Cloverbud Science

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Kids love to experiment, so what better way than by using kitchen science? The best part about beginning kitchen science is a lot of ingredients are already available as common items in the kitchen. Children will be able to:

  1. Experience scientific method

When looking at scientific method, there are basically five points to take a look at:

  • Observe/Question: What do you want to find out?
  • Hypothesis: Predict what will happen.
  • Experiment: Conduct you experiment.
  • Draw Conclusions: What happened? Was your prediction correct?
  • Share Results: What did you learn? Share with your fellow Cloverbuds
  1. Explore the differences between a mixture, solution and a reaction

A mixture is when two or more items are combined and no reaction takes place. A solution is a type of mixture that is formed when one substance dissolves in a liquid with no reaction.  A reaction occurs when two materials are combined and a reaction occurs or something happens.

Materials list for each Cloverbud: ¼ t salt, ¼ t pepper, ½ t sugar, ¼ c water, 1 t baking soda, ¼ c vinegar, three small cups, small stick for stirring, small snack baggies and one sandwich size zip lock bag. Prepare one baggie for each dry ingredient.

Activity 1

  1. Have the Cloverbuds predict what will happen if they put salt and pepper together in a small cup.
  2. Have the children mix salt and pepper together in the small cup.

Did anything happen? Can you still see the salt and pepper? Did your prediction come true? What is a mixture? What other ingredients could you use to make a mixture?

Snack mixes make great mixtures because you can still see what ingredients you used.  You can use any snack ingredients such as pretzels, cereal, veggie chips, peanuts, or corn chips. A fun activity is to have several different snack items available and let the Cloverbuds make up their own recipe and name for a snack mix.

Activity 2

  1. Have the Cloverbuds predict what will happen if they put sugar and water together.
  2. Have them stir the sugar and water together in a small cup.

Did anything happen? Can you still see the water and sugar? Did your prediction come true? What is a solution? What other ingredients could you use to make a solution?

Smoothies work for making a solution. Here is a simple fruit smoothie recipe: 8 strawberries 1 banana and ¼ cup milk. Put in a blender to combine.

Activity 3

  1. Have Cloverbuds predict what will happen if they mix vinegar and baking soda.
  2. Put baking soda into sandwich size zip lock bag. Pour vinegar into small cups. Place cup into plastic baggie and seal. Dump the vinegar out of the cup and watch what happens.

Did anything happen? Did your prediction come true? What is a reaction? What other ingredients could you use to make a reaction?

Because of yeast, bread making is another way to show a reaction.  Mix together 1 ½ c warm water, 1 T honey, 1 ½ t salt, 1 T yeast. Let sit 5-10 minutes until there is bubbling or a foam on the top. Next knead in 3 ½ – 4 cups flour until it is no longer sticky. Make small balls (for number of Cloverbuds) and cover for 20 minutes. Preheat oven or toaster oven at 400 degrees. Bake 15-20 minutes.

 

These are just some fun activities you can do to encourage learning by doing. Not only will your Cloverbuds have fun, but they will also be learning some science knowledge.

Cooking with Cloverbud Math

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Let’s take a look at math in the kitchen. You can use math skills like measuring, counting, fractions, weighing, and estimation. Utilize your whole group by having each Cloverbud help with making the snack. You can divide the jobs and ingredients among each Cloverbud (example one Cloverbud can measure the flour and another the sugar).  That way everyone is involved.  Here is a recipe that works great to give each Cloverbud a job.

Waldorf Salad

  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 1 apple
  • 1 cup seedless grapes (cut in half)
  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 1 T sugar

Prepare the fruits & celery (supervise children when using plastic knives). Mix mayo and sugar. Carefully toss mixture with dressing. You can use any fruits or veggies that you choose especially if you have more than 5 Cloverbuds.

A fun activity for your Cloverbuds is to fill a measuring cup with water. Pour the water into different bowls or containers that are different shapes. Does it look different? Now pour it back into the measuring cup to demonstrate that the amount hasn’t changed. 

Bring a small scale and let the Cloverbuds weigh the ingredients and measure them in a measuring cup to compare two different units of measure.  Of course what is math without counting? This snack mix will lend itself to weighing, counting and sorting skills.

Ranch Snack Mix (makes 7 servings)

  • 8 oz. miniature pretzels
  • 24 oz. Bugles
  • 8 oz. nuts
  • 8 oz. miniature cheddar cheese fish-shaped crackers
  • 8 oz. mini club crackers

Put ingredients in a large plastic Ziploc baggie. Sprinkle with 3 Tablespoons envelope ranch salad dressing. Drizzle with 6 Tablespoons canola oil; toss until well coated. Air dry.

Measure one cup of sugar (or other ingredient), then measure again using half cup, third cup, and quarter cup measures. Talk about how they’re different. Then demonstrate that you can measure two half-cups and it equals the same amount as one cup. Here is a recipe for:

No Bake Peanut Butter Squares

Combine:

  • ¾ cup butter, softened
  • 1 ¼ cup peanut butter
  • 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 t vanilla

Add to mixture: 3 cups crushed vanilla wafers

Press mixture into an 8” pan.

Melt: 1 cup chopped peanuts with 2 cups chocolate chips

Spread over mixture in pan. Let it set up before eating.

This recipe could also be doubled and the Cloverbuds could help rewrite the recipe so it can feed more people or even reduce it to feed less people.

Fruit and cheese kabobs are a fun way to add patterns and sorting to your Cloverbud math skills. All you need are grapes, strawberries, and bananas or any fruit, along with some small skewers or toothpicks. The Cloverbuds can make their own pattern and then draw the pattern on a piece of paper. They can make a quick dip with yogurt and a dash of cinnamon.

There are a lot of recipes that you can adapt to encourage math skills, so have fun. Happy cooking!

Cooking with Cloverbuds

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All Cloverbuds like to eat so why not let them make a snack to share at a Cloverbud meeting? There are several recipes that they can make that do not require a stove or oven. The best part about cooking is children can learn and still have fun in the process. Skills that you can talk about as the Cloverbuds are preparing the snack can be anything from reading the recipe, math skills (like fractions), or learning about kitchen safety. As long as you make it fun, the Cloverbuds will have fun too.

Some tips that you should use when cooking with children are:

  1. First, be sure there are no food allergies
  2. Make sure space is clean and safe
  3. Assemble items needed to make the snack (if using a hot plate, electric skillet or toaster oven, supervise the children at all times)
  4. When thinking about a snack, use the MyPlate guideline for healthy treats
  5. Make sure all hands are clean when preparing food
  6. Have children use plastic knives (avoid graters since it is easy for little hands to cut themselves)

Cloverbuds can learn with hands-on experiences identifying things that are sharp, hot, and learning to be careful.   A great idea when thinking about what to make, is to link the food item to a book or even a topic you are exploring. By linking your activity to a book, Cloverbuds can learn about where a food item comes from and how it gets to the table.

Here are some ideas of foods to make with your Cloverbuds:

Pancakes:

  • Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola
  • If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Joffe Numeroff
  • Pancakes, Pancakes! By Eric Carle

You can add different fruits or toppings to the pancakes. You can also color the pancake batter and let the Cloverbuds make pancake art to eat.

Popcorn:

  • Popcorn by Elaine Landau
  • The Popcorn Book by Tomie dePaola
  • Popcorn by Sara E. Hoffmann

If you have an old Stir Crazy Popcorn maker the kids can watch it pop. Kids can make and add different toppings to their popcorn.

Peanut Butter:

  • From Peanut to Peanut Butter by Robin Nelson
  • How Do They Make That? Peanut Butter by Jan Bernard & John Willis

Making peanut butter from scratch is a good way to show Cloverbuds what it takes to make peanut butter, especially if they can shell the peanuts themselves.

 Instant Pudding:

  • Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

Recipe: 1 Tablespoon instant pudding with ¼ cup milk

If you have baby food jars they make a great way to shake up the instant pudding, along with Oreos for dirt and gummy worms.

You may have to enlist the aid of the parents to help provide some of the food items needed to make the recipes. These are just a few ideas to get you thinking. You may have to do some prep work in advance, but seeing the enthusiasm and fun the Cloverbuds have is well worth that extra time.