15 delicious snacks that ll give kids something to think about as they munch

Transcription

1 Special Section by Courtney Walsh 15 delicious snacks that ll give kids something to think about as they munch Snack time. Get out the Goldfish crackers and water and call it a day. Right? It s easier to fill little bellies with whatever s on hand, and simple kid food fits the bill. But wait a minute. Why settle for boring, forgettable snacks? Why not carry your lesson into every facet of the morning including the 10 minutes reserved for eating? Snack time is already a favorite time for kids, so use their motivation and put them to work! Get them involved as they create simple snacks that serve not only to fill tummies but also as a visual illustration of an important biblical truth. Creative snacks don t have to be difficult or costly. With just a bit of imagination, food becomes an excellent complement for some of our favorite lessons from the Bible. And when stories are presented in a fun and deliciously edible way, kids are likely to carry the lessons with them for years to come. These 15 delicious snack ideas are creative, simple to make, and designed to help illustrate biblical concepts. Noah s ark springs to life when kids create one-of-akind animals to munch on. The Garden of Eden materializes right on kids plates with just a few nutritious ingredients. Next time you re looking to leave a lasting and delicious impression on kids, give them some food for thought with one of these 15 creative snack ideas. CHILDREN S MINISTRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY

2 Edible Garden Bring the Garden of Eden to life with this simple, healthy snack that allows kids to play with their food. radish slices fresh spinach leaves cucumber rounds cherry tomatoes celery sticks baby carrots other assorted chopped vegetables ranch dip Challenge kids to create a colorful display of vegetable flowers and plants like they may ve seen if they d been in the garden themselves. With a little imagination, when teaching children to be thankful for the food God provides. cucumbers are flower petals, a celery stalk is a stem, and spinach becomes the flower s leaves. Once kids have each created a masterpiece, hand out servings of ranch dip and let them eat their art. Fruity Flowers Give kids a chance to experience the fruit of the Spirit in a tasty new way. bananas kiwis raspberries or strawberries licorice twists mint leaves Have kids design flowers, starting with a banana or kiwi slice as the center of each flower. Arrange a variety of other fruits around the center circle to create flowered fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Slice raspberries and strawberries into petals, and use licorice twists as the stem. Mint leaves become the final touch. Use this same snack when teaching children about the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:5-15). Allergy Alert: Some children have food allergies that can be dangerous. Know your children, and consult with parents about allergies their children may have. Post a sign at your room entrance that details any foods you ll be serving kids that day. 130 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 CHILDREN S MINISTRY

3 Tasty Tents Gideon stayed warm and dry in his tent as he set out his fleece and waited for God to respond to his prayer. Create one-of-a-kind tents for Gideon with this easy and tasty snack. sugar cones vanilla frosting cake-decorating frosting decorative candies when teaching children about Paul, the tentmaker (Acts 18:3), the building of the tabernacle (Exodus 26), the ark housed in a tent (2 Samuel 7), or Christmas trees. Have kids lightly frost sugar cones. Place cones in a freezer for a few minutes or set aside until frosting hardens. Use cake-decorating frosting and candies to dress up the tents. Two-by-Two Tortillas Make these animal-shaped tortilla chips to illustrate the animals Noah gathered into the ark. animal-shaped cookie cutters large flour tortillas toaster oven (if no oven is available) Have the kids use the cookie cutters to create animal shapes from large flour tortillas. Bake them for 5 to 7 minutes or until crispy. Serve with dip, or brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar for a sweet treat. when teaching children about God creating the animals (Genesis 1:20-24), Adam naming the animals (Genesis 2:19-20), or the animals in the stable at Jesus birth (Luke 2). 132 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 CHILDREN S MINISTRY

4 Hook, Line & Sinker Create an adorable and tasty school of fish to help you tell about Jesus miracle in feeding the 5,000. Best for Chefs Ages 4 and Up dried apricots mini pretzel twists cream cheese mini chocolate chips 1 plastic sandwich bag Beforehand, slit one end of the dried apricots. Have the kids insert a mini when teaching children about the calling of the disciples who were fisherman (John 21), Jesus paying taxes with the coin in the fish s mouth (Matthew 17:24-27), and Jonah and the big fish (book of Jonah). pretzel twist into each apricot, then pinch the fruit together to hold it in place. Fill a plastic sandwich bag with cream cheese, and snip the corner. Pipe a small dot of cream cheese onto each apricot to create a fish eye; then have kids press a mini chocolate chip into the cream cheese. David, s Slingshots Slingshots are a common weapon in the Bible, but David s slingshot is perhaps the most famous. Use simple ingredients and allow kids to make their own version in a snap. premade sugar cookies shaped into a Y licorice laces malted milk balls Beforehand, form cookies from premade cookie dough into Y shapes. Then bake. Have the kids wrap a licorice lace around both ends of the Y to create a slingshot. Give everyone a small serving of malted milk balls to serve as rocks. when teaching children about Uzziah providing weapons (including slingshots) for his entire army (2 Chronicles 26). 134 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 CHILDREN S MINISTRY

5 Tumbling Towers Using a few easy supplies, kids will become master builders in a flash which, it turns out, is more than could be said for the builders of the Tower of Babel. graham crackers frosting or whipped topping chocolate chips M&M s candies large marshmallows Watermelon Heart Drops God s love is sweeter than ever with these simple, healthy, heart-shaped watermelon slices. seedless watermelon slices orange slices or gummy candies toothpicks heart-shaped cookie cutter Set out a smorgasbord of edible building supplies, and encourage kids to build their very own Tower of Babel. when teaching children about Nehemiah building the wall (Nehemiah 3), King David s palace (1 Chronicles 17), Samson tearing down the walls of the temple (Judges 16), and the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6). Have them spread frosting or whipped topping on a graham cracker to start as a base. Next, add a large marshmallow. Repeat this several times to see who can build a tower the tallest without it falling down. Decorate the towers with chocolate chips and M&M s candies before eating. Give each child a slice of watermelon. Pass heart-shaped cookie cutters around, and give everyone a chance to cut a heart out of the fruit. Use two toothpicks per watermelon heart to create the arrows by piercing them through small orange slices (or gummy candies), one shaped like a triangle and the other shaped like a semi-circle. when teaching children about Valentine s Day, asking God to create in them a clean heart (Psalm 51:10), God changing Saul s heart (Acts 9), the famous love chapter (1 Corinthians 13), and loving God with all their heart (Deuteronomy 6:5). 136 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 CHILDREN S MINISTRY

6 when teaching children about God creating people (Genesis 1:27), we re God s prized possession (James 1:18), and we re fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Cookie Portraits A portrait you can eat is art everyone can love. Give kids a visual reminder that God made them special as they build their own edible cookie portraits. cut-out sugar cookies in the shape of little boys and girls frosting sprinkles and other cookie decorations Give children each a premade cut-out cookie and have them create a self portrait on the cookie. As they decorate, encourage them to point out what makes them unique. Butterflies of Change The way the caterpillar transforms into something else entirely is a wonderful example of how our hearts are changed when Jesus becomes a part of our lives. Use this simple, healthy snack to reinforce that idea with children. apple slices peanut butter or cream cheese thin carrot sticks Place apple slices into the shape of butterfly wings. Each butterfly will have eight slices. Have the kids spread peanut butter onto four of the slices and sandwich them with the other apples. Then have them arrange the apples to look like a butterfly with the long carrot sticks at the center serving as the body. when teaching children that we re a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and about Creation (Genesis 1) and the transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36). 138 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 CHILDREN S MINISTRY

7 Hero Stick-wich Bring Bible heroes to life and stop growling stomachs by creating these easy deconstructed hero sandwiches. bread cheese lunch meat grape tomatoes (optional) lettuce (optional) bamboo skewers Cut bread, cheese, and lunch meat into cubes. Have kids slide the cubes onto a skew- er to create their very own Hero when teaching chil- Stick-wich. dren about any hero Consider addi- in the Bible. tional sandwich items for more variety. Tantalizing Tiles Kids can gain a little wisdom as they create and eat these fun, edible letter tiles inspired by the Scrabble board game. Rainbow Robe Joseph s coat of many colors has never been so tasty. With some favorite kid-foods and a little creativity, this is one snack that s sure to be a big hit. tie-dye Fruit by the Foot large pretzel rods Ritz crackers when teaching any lesson. square crackers Cheez Whiz spread Simmer and Sauté Have kids use Cheez Whiz to make letter tiles that spell out words. Have kids use large pretzel rods for a person s body, arms and legs. One Ritz cracker becomes the head. Have each child cut Fruit by the Foot into strips to form Joseph s robe and then lay the robe over the pretzel rods. when teaching children about putting on garments of praise (Isaiah 61:3) or Aaron s sacred garments (Exodus 28). You can also weave Fruit Roll-Ups into baskets for a lesson about Moses as a baby, or create rainbows for the rainbow God sent. 140 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 CHILDREN S MINISTRY

8 Samson Faces Give kids a chance to dream up a face for their very own Samson. With a little artistic flair, they ll create a gallery of identities for one of the Bible s most famous people. Best for Chefs Ages 4 and Up mini flour tortillas cream cheese grapes, cut in half licorice laces string cheese Have kids design a portrait of Samson using some of their favorite snacks. First, they spread a thin layer of cream cheese onto the tortilla. Next, they give him a face when teaching children with grapes and licorice about Queen Esther, the laces. Finally, give each 12 disciples, Ruth and child a string cheese to Naomi the possibilities shred to create Samson s are endless! famous mane. Graham Cracker Tablets God s most famous commands spring to life as you re-create the tablets where Moses recorded them. Simple ingredients make a delicious treat. large graham crackers frosting or whipped topping raisins Have kids each take two large graham crackers and spread the whipped topping on each one. Next, have them add five raisins to each cracker to represent the Ten Commandments. See how many they can remember before they dig in. cm Courtney Walsh is a wife, mother, and freelance writer in Fort Collins, Colorado. when teaching children about Paul s letters to the new churches (Romans, Corinthians, Galatians) or Jesus teaching in the temple (John 7). 142 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 CHILDREN S MINISTRY