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Food Groups

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Planning a well-balanced meal is child’s play with this wooden set. Items from the five food groups–including watermelon, milk, cheese, fish, eggs, and much more–are crafted of solid wood and come with four wooden baskets for sorting and storage.

Extension Activities: More Ways to Play and Learn:

• Ask the child to identify each food item (other than condiments) and to categorize it by basic food group: meat, dairy, grain, or fruits and vegetables. Ask the child to place each food group in a different crate.
• Have the child identify the colors of each food item, and sort the items by color among the four crates.
• Help the child to assemble a balanced meal in each basket. Explain that each meal must have one item from each food group.

• Visual memory skills: Place 3-4 ingredients in front of the child. Let the child study them before asking the child to close their eyes while you remove one piece. Ask the child which piece was removed. Gradually increase the number of ingredients.

Cutting Fruit

$19.99 ($15.99 when you use *promo code NFOOD20 at checkout)

Wooden set features a wooden knife and seven pieces of sliceable fruit that can be cut into a total of seventeen pieces. Food makes a fun “CRUNCH” sound when sliced. With so many pieces, it’s also a great way to introduce the concepts of part, whole and fractions!

Extension Activities: More Ways to Play and Learn:

• Ask the child to identify each piece of fruit. Place the pieces of fruit in a row. Count the pieces. Repeat the activity until the child is able to count the independently.
• Ask the child to use the wooden knife and cut the pear into two pieces. Explain that the pear has been cut into two equally sized pieces or halves. Ask the child to find other fruits that can be cut into halves (the orange, strawberry, lemon and kiwi).
• Ask the child to use the wooden knife to cut the banana into three pieces. Explain that the banana has been cut into thirds.
• Ask the child to use the wooden knife to cut the melon slice into four pieces. Explain the the melon slice has been cut into fourths.
• Ask the child to mix different pieces of fruit together to create new fruits and name them. For example: a strawberry and a kiwi might make a “kiberry.”
• Place four or more pieces of fruit in front of the child. Let him/her study them before asking the child to close his/her eyes while you remove one piece. Ask the child to identify which piece was removed.

Stir Fry Slicing Set

$19.99 ($15.99 when you use *promo code NFOOD20 at checkout)

Your chef can use the wooden knife to cut up lots of meat, red pepper and bok choi and then add it to the shrimp, mushrooms, and snow peas, stir-frying in the non-stick wooden wok. Loop and hook chopsticks are handy for stirring and serving!

Extension Activities: More Ways to Play and Learn:

• Ask the child to identify each food, and the colors on each food.
• Ask the child to count the shrimp, snow peas and mushrooms.
• Ask the child to cut up the pepper with the wooden knife, and to count the pieces. Repeat with the bok choy and meat.
• Set food pieces in front of the child. Ask the child to memorize the food, then to cover his/her eyes. Remove one food piece and hide it underneath the wok. Explain that you removed an item, and ask the child to identify the missing piece.
• Play “restaurant,” asking the child to make stir fry to order. For example, “I would like one mushroom, two shrimp and two pepper pieces, please.” Allow the child to request meals from you.
• Ask the child to place one food at a time into the wok using the chopsticks. Count each piece aloud. Ask the child to remove pieces from the wok, counting each piece removed.
• Cut up the pepper, the bok choy and the meat. Mix the pieces together in front of the child. Ask the child to sort the pieces and put the foods back together.

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