Ingredients

• 2 bread / English muffins, each cut in half width way
• 4 teaspoons of tomato puree
• 4 tablespoons of grated cheese
• Selection of toppings: Chopped or shredded cooked chicken, sliced peppers, diced onions, sweetcorn, sliced mushrooms, pineapple chunks, flaked tinned tuna (in spring water)

Equipment

Chopping board, knife, teaspoon, grater, tablespoon, tin opener, baking tray

Before you start

• Slice the muffins in half
• Prepare the toppings
• Grate the cheese

How to make it

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200oC / fan oven 180oC / Gas Mark 4
2. Spread a teaspoon of tomato puree over each muffin half
3. Sprinkle a tablespoon of grated cheese over each muffin half
4. Add the toppings of your choice. To make it fun, arrange the toppings to make a face or pattern
5. Put the mini pizzas on a baking tray and place on the middle shelf of the oven.
6. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the muffins are lightly toasted

What the children can do

• Spread the tomato puree on the muffin half
• Sprinkle the grated cheese
• Help to chop toppings
• Add the toppings they want. They can also make a face or pattern with their chosen toppings

Skills

• Spreading, chopping

Ingredients

• 2 large tortilla wraps
• 60g cheddar cheese, grated
• Salad vegetables
• Fillings, such as: chopped or shredded cooked chicken, flaked tinned fish (in spring water), drained tin of mixed beans, hummus

Equipment

Chopping board, knife, weighing scales, grater, tin opener, teaspoon, frying pan, spatula / fish slice

Before you start

• Grate the cheese
• Chop, grate or shred the salad vegetables and fillings of your choice

How to make it

1. Heat a frying pan, over a medium to high heat
2. Fill one half of each tortilla wrap in layers, as follows – a sprinkle of cheese, layer of the salad vegetables, filling of your choice and another sprinkle of cheese around the edge of the filled half of the wrap.
3. Fold the unfilled half over the top of the filling, to cover it, and cook in a frying pan, over a high heat. Cook on each side for 1 minute or until cheese has melted (sticking the edges of the wrap together) and the filling is warmed.
4. Cut each quesadilla in half, thirds or strips and serve as a tasty snack

What the children can do

• Weigh the cheese
• Shred the lettuce or spinach, if using
• Shred the cooked chicken, if using
• Add the filings they want to their wrap

Skills

• Weighing, cutting, adding ingredients, grating

Hints and tips

You can watch a video on how to make the quesadillas on the Keeping Me Well website

Ingredients

A selection of fruit such as grapes, berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries), Kiwis, pineapple chunks, satsuma (any small orange), mango, melon

Equipment

Colander, chopping board, knife, peeler, coffee stirrers

Before you start

• Wash the fruit
• Remove the stalks from the strawberries
• Peel and destone the mango
• Slice the melon into rounds
• Peel the kiwi fruit

How to make it

1. Prepare the fruit
   a) Slice grapes lengthways
   b) Kiwis sliced and halved
   c) Peel and separate the satsuma
   d) Cut the mango into cubes
   e) Cut the melon into cubes
2. Thread the fruit onto the coffee stirrers in rainbow colour order

Show the children

• How to prepare fruit (e.g. using the ‘bridge’ to the cut strawberries and kiwi in half)
• How to peel the kiwi fruit with a peeler if using kiwi
• How to thread the fruit onto the coffee stirrers

What the children can do (with adult help):

• Cut the fruit as needed
• Peel the kiwi fruit
• Thread the fruit

Skills

• Cutting, peeling, threading

Hints and Tips

• Tinned fruit in natural juice such as tinned pineapple and peaches can be used as well
• Why not serve warm place under the grill for a few minutes, turning once and serve with natural yogurt

Ingredients

• 1 x 400g can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt
• 50ml of cold water (if needed)
• Black pepper to season

Equipment

Mixing bowl, tin opener, colander, potato masher or fork, garlic crusher, lemon squeezer, table spoon and teaspoon

Before you start

• Open and drain the tin of chickpeas

How to make it

1. Empty the chickpeas into your mixing bowl and mash them up with the potato masher until a rough paste is formed.
2. Peel the garlic cloves and crush with the garlic crusher, add this to the chickpea paste.
3. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze each half into the chickpea mix.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt and a sprinkle of black pepper and give it a good stir.

Show the children

• How to prepare fruit (e.g. using the ‘bridge’ to the cut strawberries and kiwi in half)
• How to peel the kiwi fruit with a peeler if using kiwi
• How to thread the fruit onto the coffee stirrers

What the children can do (with adult help):

• Help mash the chickpeas
• Crush the garlic cloves
• Help slice and squeeze the lemon
• Scoop and add plain yogurt
• Sprinkle black pepper

Skills

• Cutting, peeling, threading

Hints and Tips

• Add some herbs or other flavours i.e. beetroot, grated carrot, pea
• Serve with pita bread and vegetable fingers i.e. carrots, peppers, cucumber

Ingredients

• 1 soft tortilla wrap
• Plain yoghurt – 2 dessertspoons per tortilla
• A selection of fruit eg melon, small orange (clementine, mandarin, satsuma) strawberries, blueberries, bananas, apples, pineapple etc

Equipment

Chopping board, plate, colander, dessertspoon, vegetable knife, grater, small cutters, teaspoon

Before you start

• Wash the non-peel fruit
• Peel and cut the melon into flat round slices
• Quarter the apples and remove the core
• Remove the stalks from the strawberries

How to make it

1. Place the tortilla wrap on a plate
2. Prepare the fruit:

a. Cut out a range of shapes in the melon slices (ie circles for eyes) using pastry cutters

b. Peel the oranges and pull apart the segments

c. Chop the strawberries into slices/ halves

d. Peel and slice the banana

e. Grate the apple

3. Spread the yogurt onto the tortilla using a back of a teaspoon.

4. Arrange the fruits on the tortilla making a ‘face’ ie

a. Hair – grated apple

b. Eyes – melon circles or banana slices with a blueberry in the middle

c. Ears and nose – strawberry slices or orange segments

d. Mouth – a smile of blueberries or orange segments

5. To eat, either cut into quarters, or roll in up into a wrap and cut it in half.

6. Serve straight away.

Show the children

• How to prepare fruit (e.g. using the ‘bridge’ to the cut strawberries and kiwi in half)
• How to peel the kiwi fruit with a peeler if using kiwi
• How to thread the fruit onto the coffee stirrers

What the children can do (with adult help):

• Wash the non peel fruit, using the colander
• Cut out the melon shapes using the cutter
• Peel the small orange and pull apart the segments
• Cut the strawberries in half using the ‘bridge’
• Peel and slice the banana using the ‘bridge’
• Grate the apple
• Spread the yoghurt with a back of a teaspoon
• Arrange the fruit in a ‘face’

Skills

• Cutting, peeling, threading

Hints and Tips

• Add some herbs or other flavours i.e. beetroot, grated carrot, pea
• Serve with pita bread and vegetable fingers i.e. carrots, peppers, cucumber

Ingredients

• Cream Crackers
• Hummus, cream cheese, guacamole or tomato puree
• Chosen toppings for example chopped peppers, tinned sweetcorn, grated carrot, sliced strawberries, halved grapes, blueberries etc

Equipment

Chopping board, vegetable knife, teaspoon

Before you start

• Wash the chosen fruit and vegetables
• Prepare the ingredients for the toppings and place in the bowls (the children can help to prepare these)

How to make it

1. Take a teaspoon of the base (hummus, cream cheese) and using the back of the teaspoon spread it over the cracker.
2. Place the prepared toppings on the crackers in the design of your choice!

What the children can do (with adult help):

• Help chop the toppings
• Spread on the base with the back of a teaspoon
• Place the toppings on the cracker

Skills

• Chopping, spreading, decorating

Hints and Tips

• Maybe get your child to draw out a design beforehand.
• Try making animal face, different patterns or even vehicles!
• Why not try using a different variety and different shaped crackers

What you’ll need to get started:

• Spaghetti pasta
• A variety of different pasta tubes and shapes that have a hole in like penne, macaroni, rigatoni, cannelloni, wheel-shaped (rotelle), or character shapes
• Different colours of food colouring (optional if colouring pasta)
• Vinegar (optional if colouring the pasta)
• Playdough
• Pipe cleaners, straws or spaghetti (wool, string, laces for older children)
• Resealable freezer bags or container with a sealable lid

How to make it:

1. To colour your pasta put a dollop of food colouring and a teaspoon of vinegar into a resealable bag/ container and mix together.
2. Add the pasta to it and try and cover with the colour. Get your child to slowly move the pasta in the plastic bag or shake the tub so that the colour covers the pasta.
3. If the colour isn’t evenly distributed or you want a brighter colour you can add another teaspoon of vinegar or more food colouring.
4. Pour the coloured pasta on to a tray or baking tray and leave to dry. Ideally overnight, but it should be dry within a few hours.
5. Make on colour or several, just repeat steps 1 – 4 with a different colour food dye!

Activities for 12 months – 2 years:

1. Shape the playdough into balls on a tray or table top, and squash them slightly.
2. Place the spaghetti pasta in the dough, or you could use a straw, and make sure it is secure. Then give your child the pasta shapes and get them threading!
3. It may be best to start off using larger tubes of pasta with younger children then as they get used to doing it then maybe move onto the smaller pieces of pasta.
4. Keep the pasta in an air tight tub and use again and again!

Activities for 2 – 5 years:

• As your child grows you could progress and use a length of wool (or ribbon, string or a shoelace) to make pasta necklaces or bracelets! Its best to wrap some sticky tape around the end of the wool as this will make the threading much easier, as the wool will easily pass through the holes in the pasta shapes.

What you’ll need:

• Fruits such as apples, orange, lemons, pears.
• Vegetables such as potatoes, cauliflower, peppers, carrots, corn on the cob, mushrooms, cabbage
• Paper
• Ready to use paint in different colours
• Plate/ containers/ trays (for paint)
• Chopping board
• Knife
• Newspaper/ kitchen roll

How to make it:

1. Wash the fruit and vegetables you will be using and dry them with a tea towel.
2. Using the chopping board, cut your fruit and vegetables in half with a knife. This is something you can get your child to help you with – check out our film on healthy snack ideas which shows different safe cutting techniques.
3. Dab the cut side with some kitchen roll or newspaper to soak up the moisture, as this will help the paint stick better.
4. Pour the paint you are using into a shallow container, such as a plate or dish. If you are using more than one colour, then add to multiple plates with the different colours.
5. You can either apply the paint using a sponge or paintbrush, or dip the fruit straight into the paint. Make sure that the piece is covered evenly with a thin coat of paint.
6. Press the fruit/ vegetable firmly to the paper, ink side down and remove – that’s your first print done!
7. Now you could explore printing with different fruit and vegetables, cut in different ways to make great pictures!

Hints and Tips

• Aim for firm fruits as these make a more visible print
• Don’t apply too much paint as it could make the prints outline blurry
• Make patterns and pictures using different vegetables together. For example, cut cauliflower into individual florets and use them to make a picture of a big tree!
• Please don’t eat the fruit and vegetables after you have used them with the paint as this could make you unwell.
• Don’t forget to let your painting dry for a few hours once you have finished.

Playing with oats can be carried out with children from 6 months onwards as both a sensory and developmental activity. 

Extras

• Porridge Oats
• Tray or shallow container

Equipment

• Funnel
• Jug
• Bowls
• Beakers
• Spoons
• Diggers and cars
• Tea set
• Mega blocks
• Water (optional for wet play)

How to play with oats

1. Pour the bag of porridge oats into a tray and let your little one get stuck in. Give them time to explore the texture of the dry oats with their hands.
2. For further fun exploration, offer them a range of objects that encourages scooping, pouring, digging etc. You could even put your little one’s favourite toys in there. Such as a digger or car set, a tea set, mega blocks etc.
3. You could also introduce your little one to ‘wet play’ by adding a little water to the oats. Scoop some oats from your tray into a separate bowl and gradually add some water with a spoon or jug.
4. Let them play and explore each level of texture, from dry to tacky and wet. If you have any moulds or cookie cutters, your little one could have fun making different shapes when the oats are wet and gooey.

Growing from seed is a great way to teach your child about where food comes from. The process of planting a seed in soil, taking care of it whilst it grows into something you can eat is magical for young children to be a part of. It is important that you start with seeds that grow quite fast – so it keeps their interest and gives them a positive experience of gardening. A child is also more likely to try new food they have grown themselves. You don’t need access to a garden to grow – all you need is compost / soil, something to grow it in and a watering can!

Equipment

• Cress seeds (you can get these from a garden centre)
• An empty egg shell, yogurt pot or paper cup
• Felt-tip pens or paint and paint brushes
• Kitchen roll
• Cotton wool
• Water
• Teaspoon

How to make

1. Decorate the empty egg shell, yogurt pot or paper cup using the felt-tip pens or paint and paint brushes. You and your child could draw funny faces so when the cress grows it’ll look like green hair
2. Wet some kitchen roll and place it at the bottom of the egg shell, yogurt pot or paper cup
3. Then wet some cotton wool and place this on top of the kitchen roll. Leave a small gap (about 2 – 3cm) between the cotton wool and the top of the eggshell, yogurt or paper cup
4. Sprinkle a teaspoon of the cress seeds evenly onto the wet cotton wool. Press them down gently with your finger tips
5. Put in a warm place that gets plenty of sunlight, like a windowsill, to grow
6. Add a little water every day to make sure the cotton wool remains moist. The cress should grow in 7 – 10 days
7. When the cress has grown about 10 cm, cut it with a pair of scissors and add to a sandwich or the quesadilla recipe.

Hints and tips

• Teach not to over water
• Use unusual containers like old boots (which you can paint) tea pots, old pans, old tyre , teacups

What you’ll need:

• Cooked and cooled spaghetti
• Food colouring – as many different colours as you like
• Large tray
• An assortment of little toys/food models
• Small bucket or container
• 3-4 bowls and a permanent marker pen

Before you start:

• Cook and cool spaghetti
• Collect an assortment of small toys
• If using pebbles, number them 1-10

How to make it:

1. Place approximately 8 drops of each colour food dye into separate bowls and add even portions of cooked and cooled spaghetti into the bowls.
2. Tip your spaghetti onto a surface to dry.
3. Once dry tip into the bucket or container and add the pebbles or toys.

Skills

• Pouring, mixing, counting, fine motor skills

Hints and tips

• Try taste testing some of the cooked and coloured pieces of spaghetti – this will help to introduce kids to new textures.
• Get the kids involved by asking them to mix the food colouring with the cooled spaghetti and collect small toys for them to find in their spaghetti worms.
• If the spaghetti becomes too dry and sticky, have some water handy to squirt onto the pasta to help keep it smooth and slippery to handle.
• Make sure the pebbles or toys are too big to swallow.
• You can practice your counting and naming skills by counting all the toys/pebbles you’ve found in total and using descriptive words for each toy.

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup Flour
• 1 cup Water
• 1/2 cup of Salt
• 2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
• 1 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
• 2 tsp food colouring
• A cup
• A tablespoon
• A saucepan
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Rice
• Edible essences e.g. mint, orange

How to make it:

1. Get your child to help you measure out your dry ingredients and pour them into your saucepan
2. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the dry ingredients
3. In separate dishes, combine the food colouring to water, one for each colour you wish to use. Add your coloured water to your saucepan of dry ingredients.
4. Allow your child to help with whisking your ingredients before heating to remove any lumps, or blend all the ingredients.
5. Cook over medium heat constantly stirring until it becomes a thick blob.
6. Turn the play dough out onto a clean surface and knead into a smooth blob.

What the children can do (with adult help)

• Measure out dry ingredients
• Measure, pour and mix food colouring and water
• Combine and mix dry and wet ingredients
• Stir mixture
• Knead dough once cooled

Skills

• Measuring, pouring, whisking, kneading

Hints and Tips

• You can always use cold water instead of cooking on the stove. Just stir until it forms a smooth ball of play dough.
• This dough will last for a few weeks in an air tight container or zip-lock bag.
• Use some pipe cleaners/Straws and some googley eyes, you could turn your dough balls into dough monsters.
• You could also make some new dough balls with natural scents, colouring and added textures, for example: add a couple of teaspoons of freshly grated zest or mash up berries (fresh or defrosted from frozen) to the dough in the final stages. You could even add some herbs and spices or edible essences such as vanilla or mint.