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Going Green Food Experiments for Kids

Going green is a concept that children are passionate about, and drinks in reusable bottles and nondisposable food containers are ideas that children adopt. Eating green is perhaps the most impactful single act you can engage in, and you can help children channel their passion toward eating green. Children feel empowered when you give them a choice and engage them in preparing foods.

  1. Colorful Fruits and Vegetables

    • One way to help children adopt green food is to ask your children to look in the refrigerator and the cupboard to find fruits and vegetables in the colors of the rainbow. Have them find red, orange, yellow, green, purple and blue fruits and vegetables -- for example, red tomato, orange pepper, yellow corn, green apple and violet aubergine. Eating colorful food is a way to learn to eat all sorts of food, and maximize the intake of different nutrients.

    Shopping

    • Let your children help with the shopping. Make a list of different seasonal ingredients and let your children help you find the fruits and vegetables in the shop or fresh market. Looking for colorful food makes it more exciting to eat it later.

    Preparation

    • Involve your children in the planning of the menu and talk about why eating seasonal food makes more sense from a green perspective. Browse cookbooks and search the Internet for recipes that children can help prepare. Even if it is something as basic as washing the fruit and vegetables in water makes children feel they have cooked it themselves. Let your children be more involved in preparation during the weekends. Making a salad or decorating a colorful pizza with fruits and vegetables are ways to keep kids actively involved in experimenting with green food.

    Green Evening

    • Make special green treats and serve them at a green evening. You can change the color of the theme every week and serve green food in other colors. Use green ingredients to decorate and tempt your children to taste something new. Homemade popsicles made of yogurt and fresh strawberries decorated with green lemon balm or basil are ways to eat green.

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