Dinnertime: video post from Half Full blog

I recently shared a note about the Greater Good Science Center's Half Full blog. It just so happens that one of their video conversations discusses the issue of family mealtime. Take a look. Do you agree? Maybe it will inspire some conversations in your household.

Picky, Picky: Food Challenges

Maybe your family has escaped the issue of raising picky eaters. Count yourself lucky! For others, balancing a happy dinnertime and balanced nutrition for their little ones can be a challenge. If one of your New Year's resolutions happens to relate to improving mealtime and your child's diet, check out this resource by Zero to Three: "It's Too Mushy! It's Too Spicy! The Peas Are Touching the Chicken! (Or, How to Handle Your Picky Eater" (http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_health_picky).

Here are two picture books about picky eaters:
Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey (Four Winds Press, 1980)

This one has been loved by children and families for nearly three decades and has been a Reading Rainbow selection. A very picky eater, Gregory the goat refuses the usual goat diet staples of shoes and tin cans in favor of fruits, vegetables, eggs, and orange juice.

Eat Your Peas by Kes Gray, illustrated by Nick Sharratt (Dorling Kindersley, 2000)

"Just how much does Mom want Daisy to eat her peas? What is it worth to her? Well, she'll give Daisy a dish of ice cream and a new bike and a baby elephant and then she'll even sweeten the offer and buy Daisy her own chocolate factory. Will Daisy take the bribe and eat her peas? Or will she turn the tables on Mom? A familiar battle of wills escalates into a hilarious standoff in this bright, cheerful book, full of charming graphic illustrations. The characters and situation are familiar and funny... and anyone who has ever forced down one more brussel sprout in order to earn dessert will find the resolution true to life. Eat Your Peas is the perfect dinnertime companion!" (summary from Syndetics, Inc.)

Pick of the Week

Night of the Veggie Monster by George McClements (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2008)

Many parents know all too well the daily battle otherwise known as dinnertime. If you've ever had the experience of desperately trying to convince your child to eat his or her vegetables (or witnessed the protest from a child faced with a plate of veggies), this book should connect with you. In Night of the Veggie Monster, every Tuesday night - when presented with three peas to eat (yes, only three!), the boy turns into a monster. Never fear, once he actually swallows the peas, he discovers they aren't that bad after all. A fun new offering from George McClements for all veggie-timid eaters.

Make Mealtime Count!

Mealtime is the perfect opportunity for sharing language with young children. Whether you are feeding your infant, guiding a toddler through messy meals, or sharing a special dinner with your preschooler, the kitchen table offers a wonderful setting for developing language skills. Talk about the food you eat. Begin by asking questions or describing the experience to a very young child:

What is the name of the food? How does the food taste? What does it look like? What colors do you see? How does the food feel and smell?

If your toddler responds that he's eating an apple, you can add more description to his answer. "Yes! You are eating a red apple. It's round and sweet. When you were a baby you ate mushed apples - applesauce!"

There is also plenty of opportunity to discuss food while you are cooking or baking together. As a child adds ingredients or takes a turn stirring the batter in the bowl, talk about what is happening. Is the batter lumpy? Smooth? Will you have to crack an egg or measure the flour? The outside of the egg is hard and smooth...what does the egg look like after we crack it open?

As your child grows, adding simple math to cooking can also help enrich their experience in the kitchen with you. How many grapes do we have in the bowl? Can you count five Cheerios? Talk about the different colors, shapes and sizes you see in the food.

Talking about food extends to trips to the grocery store or farmer's market. There are so many opportunities in a grocery store to share new vocabulary to your child. Is that a cucumber or a zucchini? Share conversations about where foods come from. How does the milk get from the cow to the bottle at the store? Where does bread come from? The library also has easy non-fiction books about these topics to share with young children.