Vegetable Soup

Getting kids to eat vegetables is a challenge. In the theme ' Fruits and Vegetables', one of the activities carried out was making vegetable soup with the objectives : to learn and recognise the different vegetables, to know the goodness provided by eating vegetables, to learn food preparation, safety in the kitchen and most of all to encourage the children to like to eat the vegetables.
Here are some of the vegetables brought in by the children.

Children were proud of their contribution to make the soup.

Ms Aliyah showing the various vegetables that we are going to use to make the vegetable soup - let them touch and smell the vegetables, while explaining the importance of vegetables in our diet.

Next, food preparation - the children were asked to help to wash the vegetables before cutting them into small pieces.

Ms Aliyah showing them how to cut the vegetables into small bite-size pieces.

Cooking the soup. The real soup was cooking in the other kitchen ~ vegetables in chicken broth. This is just a 'dummy kitchen' - no fire at all! The pot was filled with plain water.

The children helped to put in the various vegetables that they have washed and cut by Ms Aliyah. They were very excited looking at what went into the pot and a good time to talk about safety in the kitchen.

Almost done!

The soup - in chicken broth ! Looks good, smelled delicious and packed with lots of nutrients ! Next, we asked the children if they would like to try the soup made with their help. All hands shot up! The soup was eaten with plain rice, lots of soup in it! We put in some vegetables in their containers - testing the waters, so to speak. Then we asked if any one would like some more vegetables. Most did!

Every child ate up the vegetables. Some really enjoyed it and had second helpings.

Eating .....

Eating ......

Eating ...... with relish!

Did we say every child? Correction ~ NOT this boy, he didn't even want to have any vegetables in his rice! ALL vegetables out!

Dear parents, you can encourage your child to eat fruits and vegetables. Get them involved in the marketing, choosing the recipe, planning and preparation of the dish and you will find MOST of them will be more acceptable to try to eat them. Try it!