Flowers are beginning to bloom where we live, and the sun is shining a little more often. That means it’s time to take our books outdoors.
I recently came across a book that belonged to my husband when he was younger, and inspired by it, I put together a picnic for the kids. We spread a picnic blanket on the grass in our backyard, and enjoyed a yummy lunch together while I read them the book about Mickey Mouse’s Picnic.
Just like the story we were reading, the kids enjoyed sandwiches, pink lemonade, and a big chocolate cake.
I think we’ll be doing this a lot more over the spring and summer months. Which means it’s time to break out the cookie cutters and sandwich cutters.
Whether you are reading books about dinosaurs, flowers, princesses or animals, you can cut sandwiches into amazing, themed shapes for the kids to enjoy while you read to them. For sandwiches that require lunch meat or cheese, prepare the sandwich, including the filling, and then cut with the cookie or sandwich cutter. For all other fillings such as peanut butter and jelly, or chicken, egg, and tuna salad, cut the bread into the shape, and then add your filling.
You can also match fruit and vegetable snacks with books such as The Hungry Caterpillar, Gregory the Terrible Eater, and Diary of a Wombat.
Pairing snacks and lunches with books makes reading more fun for kids, and their attention will be held a little longer. Plus, they will love watching the characters in the book eating the same thing that they are enjoying, and you just might get lucky that this encourages your child to try new foods too.
What is your child’s favorite book? Could you pair a snack or lunch with it? If you need any ideas don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below, I’d be happy to help.
