Rainbow Snack
Here's What To Do
1
Draw a rainbow (include red, yellow, orange, green, blue, and purple stripes).
2
Challenge your child to find a food in your kitchen that matches each color.
3
Talk about the foods they find and where they get their colors from. Talk about what other characteristics the foods have in common.
4
Choose one of the rainbow foods and eat it for a snack. (Optional challenge: can you think of a recipe that would use one food from each color of the rainbow?)
Put PEER Into Action
P
Pause:
- Put away distractions and draw a picture of a rainbow together.
E
Engage:
- "Can you find a food that's each of these colors? Let's look in the fridge, freezer, or pantry."
- "Do you know which of these foods grew in the ground, and which were made in a factory? Where do you think they get their colors from?"
E
Encourage:
- "It's tricky to find foods that are some of these colors! I'm thinking of something blue in our fridge that you like to eat for breakfast."
- "You found blueberries and green grapes. Their colors are different, but can you think of anything that's the same about them?"
R
Reflect:
- Why do you think it might be a good idea to eat different colored fruits and vegetables? (simple answer for children: fruits and vegetables get their color from different nutrients inside them. So when you eat different colors, your body gets different things it needs to stay healthy)
Not quite ready?
Focus on just one color and see how many foods of that color you can find.
Ready for more?
Sort rainbow foods by food groups like: fruits, veggies, grains, dairy, and other.
As your child masters this skill...
They will be able to identify similarities between different types of food.