How to make alphabets delicious

As a mother who works from home and hence has been blessed to see her child grow in front of her eyes, I know one thing for sure - learning is fun. Teaching young kids is more about facilitating play in a targeted direction than it is about strict rules and structures. While we introduce toys and activities that help stimulate them and increase their acquisition of knowledge, it is the promise of fun, play and adventure that really makes them tick. One of the ways I have bridged that gap is by using food to teach letters and their sounds. Now, we incorporate my son's eagerness to help with meals into the things I want him to learn. Here are some letters of the alphabets to have fun with. You can come up with your own ideas to fill in the missing letters.
A for Apple Pie
Make apple pie with two or three varieties of apples. Let them sort the different varieties (ensure you select ones in which the differences are obvious).
B is for Beetroot Juice
Teaching kids how to juice from scratch is fun. Since beets are so intense, pour out a little beet juice in a cup that already has apple juice. This way, they get the colour and some of the nutrients without the intensity of pure beet juice.
C is for Cake or Cupcake
Bake a small batch of cupcakes or a tiny cake together. Kids love to bake because they get to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
E is for Eggs
Do everything from boiled, poached, scrambled to frittata and devilled eggs. Experiment with different additions from precooked vegetables to chicken sausages and beef bacon.
I is for Ice Cream
Making ice cream at home can be great fun, but you will need an ice cream machine. If you do not have one, you can buy vanilla ice cream from a departmental store and add flavours with berries and nuts and sauce toppings like chocolate or strawberry syrup. Add a banana and make it I for ice cream sundae!
J is for Jam
Wash whichever fruits you have in the kitchen, take out a saucepan, some sugar and make some jam. Make sure you have bread, so that the cooled jam can be lunch!
M is for Mezze
I love mezze because it is such a diverse way to eat lots of great stuff and consume a lot of vegetables. Make a miniature mezze spread for dinner and encourage your little one to try new flavours and foods.
P is for Pancakes
There is nothing better than homemade pancakes. Really. Teach them early, you will not regret it. Make them plain, then add fruit in each one for a twist.
Q is for Quiche
Quiche is another great dish because it is healthy and you end up having it for lunch or supper. Since it involves whisking eggs, making pastry and arranging the fillings, it is a fun dish to make with children of different age groups.
R is for Rolls
You can make bread rolls either from scratch (kids love fooling around with dough and baking) or you can simply get creative with a semi-homemade treat. Make sweet dessert rolls with Arabic bread. Spread cream cheese over bread. Sprinkle cinnamon powder and sugar on top and roll the bread up tightly. Cut into little wheels and set upright, so the fillings show. You could also do a mashed banana and Nutella filling and sprinkle cinnamon over it.
S is for Soup
Get your kid's favourite vegetables, some chicken stock or vegetable stock, cooked chicken, macaroni pasta or cooked rice and make a quick soup. Put the chopped vegetables and meat in the pot with the stock and bring to a boil. Allow the vegetables to cook for about 20-30 minutes, then add the uncooked pasta and cook for 12-15 minutes. You can substitute the pasta with rice.
T is for Tart
Grab some puff pastry from the supermarket. If possible, get one made with butter or you can make it from scratch. You can make so many fuss-free meals and kids fancy crusty flaky pastry. Cut out fun shapes and allow the kids to add the cheese and their favourite vegetables, making their own designs.
Z is for Zoodles
Zoodles are noodles made from zucchini. It is a great low-carb alternative to pasta and the shape tricks kids into eating a vegetable because they think it is just a pasta. You can make it with a spiraliser, now available in fine kitchen and table retailers like Tavola, Lakeland, Crate & Barrel and the Organic Foods and Cafe.
For the missing letters, try to involve your child by coming up with foods you can make using those alphabets. Turning learning into tangible activities makes it fun. And by all means, let them help as best as they can with the tidying up!
wknd@khaleejtimes.com