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Play with Your Food
Rated by 1 member
My artsy daughter Sabrina is a tactile learner, always touching things to see how they work. Recently, we were shopping for oil pastels, and she asked the salesclerk at the art supply store if she could try out a few varieties to see how "squishy" they were.
Perhaps this penchant for touch is an artist thing, because the salesperson didn't find her request unusual in the slightest. In fact, he kept open samples of each pastel brand specifically for such occasions. He and Sabrina had quite the conversation, all about how the squishiest oil pastels were best.
This quality may be great for an artist, but it's not so great at the dinner table. It's simply not polite to roll each pea between your thumb and forefinger before popping it in your mouth. And poking the mashed potatoes to feel for lumps? That's downright insulting to the chef!
We do all we can to encourage Sabrina's artistic endeavors, but we also want her to have good table manners. As a result, hardly a night goes by when we don't snap, "Sabrina – UTENSILS!" She tries to remember, but sometimes those tactile temptations are just too great to resist.
One afternoon last school year, I was staring into the fridge planning dinner when Sabrina came home from school, bubbling with excitement. She told me all about how she had received a straight-A report card, maintaining her 4.0 average for the year. I decided right then to make a "No-Silverware Dinner" so Sabrina's day could go on being perfect, with no use-your-utensils scolds from Mom and Dad.
I set the table with plates, cups, and plenty of napkins, but no silverware. Our dinner that night was fun for everyone and reprimand-free for Sabrina. We all enjoyed that dinner so much, we've repeated it often.
Here are some of our family's favorite dishes on our no-silverware menus:
Member Comments On…
Play with Your Food
Love finger food meals! As a large family we use a ton of dishes and utensils daily! So it is not so much a tactile thing as a time saving thing. Some of my children like their cereal w/o milk so I just have them put some on a napkin. We call pigs in a blanket, snuggly dogs here, but we do usually eat them with a fork! Cheeseburger hoagies is a new idea, I think we will give that one a try.
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I LOVE the recipes. I like using those kind of recipes for kids parties. Thanks for sharing them. Another idea would be to put fruit on skewers. We just leave fruit and vegetables on a plate for Rebekah and the other grandkids to snack on.
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No silverware night is an excellent idea!
I always forget how much kids love eating with sticks or toothpicks. They'll eat just about anything with those. Chopsticks is another item to add. Also, some gooey food like fondue or noodles would be appealing as well.
Thanks for the reminder that we just need to have a little fun with our food which may also entice our picky eaters to try something new.
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I think this is a great idea, pancakes, veggies, are healthy foods if accompanied by low fat syrup and dressing. I will definitely try this every Friday!
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This story about your child reminds me of a young me! I was and am still very much that way. For me it was curiosity and creativity that had sparked such interest in touching things. My creativity has served me well over the years so nurture your little one, sometimes annoying habits turn into acomplishments over time.
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great idea BUT can you just make it healthier??
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