Rainbow Food
Here's What To Do
Draw a rainbow (include red, yellow, orange, green, blue, and purple stripes).
Bring your rainbow drawing to the grocery store. Head to the produce section.
As you walk by the displays, ask your child to match the color of the fruits and vegetables to a color on the rainbow.
(Optional) Let your child choose their favorite color and buy a fruit or veggie that matches that color (could be fresh, frozen, or canned).
Put PEER Into Action
Pause:
- Place your child in the shopping cart and review all the colors in your rainbow drawing.
Engage:
- "What fruit is this? Strawberry, right. What color are strawberries? Can you point to that color on your rainbow picture?"
- "I'm wondering if you can search for yellow fruits and vegetables. That's this color right here on your rainbow picture. Do you see any yellow fruits or veggies in the store?"
Encourage:
- "It's hard to find blue foods! The only one I can think of is blueberries."
- "I'll hold up the rainbow picture next to this pepper. Is it the same color as this stripe in the rainbow? Yes! That's red."
Reflect:
- Which color is your favorite? Did we see any fruits or vegetables that color today?
Not quite ready?
Colors can be tricky for many children. If your child isn't able to name colors, say the produce's colors for them to reinforce the concept.
Ready for more?
Do an internet search about health benefits of different colored fruits and vegetables. Talk about the importance of eating a variety of colors of fruits and veggies.
As your child masters this skill...
They will know more and more fruit and vegetable names and their colors.