Write Your Own Smoothie Recipe

Intention

‘I prepare food in a way that nourishes my spirit and my body.

I find joy in preparing nourishment with the people I love’

Description

In this activity, children will create their own smoothie recipe while practicing writing, alphabet knowledge, and math skills.

Gather

Attached Smoothie Recipe Template and Smoothie Recipe Reflection https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yw4GftyVjMc3nEVfdj0_v_8BnyDaaCaJ/view?usp=sharing

Blender

Fruits (strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and others of your choosing)

Any liquids such as milk or yogurt that you enjoy in your smoothies (optional)

Any other smoothie ingredients (optional)

Crayons

Writing Utensil

Number chart and alphabet chart (optional but recommended)

Process

Introduce your child to the ingredients available for the recipe.

Let them decide how much of each ingredient they want to put in their smoothie.

Invite your child to fill in the number banks in the recipe template with the quantities they’ve chosen. Assist your child with filling in the letter and word blanks in the recipe template.

Invite your child to read the final recipe aloud.

Make the smoothie letting your child count out the quantity of each ingredient.

Enjoy the smoothie and talk about the taste, smell, and texture using descriptive vocabulary.

Invite your child to complete the Smoothie Reflection by counting the number of ingredients they used, writing a descriptive word to describe the smoothie’s taste, and completing the coloring prompt.

Holistic Engagement

Unpack related vocabulary: recipe, ingredients, measurement, blend, liquefy, texture

Make several smoothies altering the recipe each time. Experiment until your child finds the perfect balance of ingredients.

Repeat this activity multiple times using different ingredients and make a smoothie recipe book

Talk about the nutritional value of the smoothie

Questions to Ask

Which ingredient do you like the taste of most?

Which fruit did you use the most of (This could require some critical thinking. For example, if your child used 8 blueberries but 1 banana, they may be tempted to answer blueberries. Discuss the different sizes of the fruit in relation to the most used ingredient)?

Before blending: What color do you predict the smoothie will be?

After tasting: Does the smoothie taste different than you expected?

Mindfulness Prompts

Say a word/prayer of thanks before drinking your smoothie. Thank the earth for providing the fruit.

Take a slow sip and focus completely on the taste. Feel the texture in your mouth and the sensation of the smoothie in your throat as you swallow it.