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Dad Field Manual · Field card 129 · Cooking

Build a snack board for the family

Hand your kid a cutting board and a butter knife, and the family snack becomes their job. Thirty minutes, a rainbow of food, and they get to serve everyone.

Time
30 min
Cost
About $10
Ages
3 to 10
Where
Kitchen counter

What you need

  • Fruit and vegetables: strawberries, bananas, cucumber, peppers, grapes, clementines
  • Cheese slices, crackers and a dip like hummus or yogurt
  • A colander and a clean towel
  • A small cutting board and a butter knife
  • A big plate, board or sheet pan to serve on
  • A step stool

Before you start

  • Wash hands, then wash produce. FDA says 20 seconds of handwashing, then rub produce under plain running water. No soap.
  • Butter knife, soft foods. You cut anything hard. AAP says show kids how to hold tools and always supervise in the kitchen.
  • Under 4 at the table? AAP says cut food to half an inch or smaller and keep whole grapes, nuts, popcorn and raw carrot sticks from them.
  • Big kids don't share with babies. AAP notes many choking incidents start when an older sibling hands a younger child food.

Steps

  1. Wash hands and plan the rainbow. Wash hands, then pick one food of each color for the board.
  2. Wash the produce. Rub produce under plain running water, then pat it dry.
  3. Dad cuts the hard stuff. Slice firm foods yourself; cut pieces half an inch or smaller for kids under 4.
  4. Kid cuts the soft stuff. Cut bananas, strawberries and cheese slices with a butter knife.
  5. Build the board. Put the dip in the middle and lay food out in rainbow rows.
  6. Serve the family. Carry the board to the table, name each color, then wipe the counter.

If it stalls

  • If they only want to cut, let them cut. You lay out the board, they check that every color made it.
  • If the board is mostly crackers and cheese, that's a snack. Ask for one more color next time.
Colors on the board
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date