Yes, They Should Be Playing With Food
You can prep this craft fairly quickly with whatever leftover scraps you have in the kitchen. We used the end of mini peppers, carrots, and celery stalks for our masterpiece—a day I prepped bolognese. You can also use the core of an apple and the stems of broccoli or leafy greens to add variety.
Painting with produce scraps is a colorful, low-stakes project that can make food exploration fun. Studies suggest this type of sensory activity can reduce mealtime anxiety and
encouragetoddlers to try new foods—though the jury is still out in my house.
You can prep this project using leftover scraps in your kitchen. We used the end of mini peppers, carrots, and celery stalks for our masterpiece—leftovers from a weeknight bolognese. You can also use the core of an apple and the stems of broccoli or leafy greens to add variety. I'd avoid anything smelly, like onion, and if you're using citrus fruit be sure to squeeze out any excess juice to avoid over saturating the finished artwork.
My girls enjoyed exploring the textures and shapes each vegetable created when stamped. It was also a fun way to teach my girls about recipe building, flavors, and the ingredients we use to make some of their favorite meals.
These prints were made using craft paper and a variety of kid-friendly paints. But you can make your own with this recipe from
Homan at Home, which uses flour, salt, water, and food coloring.
Parents interested in turning this craft into a keepsake can grab fabric paints and dish cloths to make stamped tea towels.
