 O.K, O.K...I couldn't resist the dog picture. This post has nothing to do with dogs just the Olympic medals they're wearing. So let's get started. We've been talking about Olympic-themed picky eater ideas and this is another FUN idea for you and your kiddos. Part of a therapeutic program for picky eating is to, EVENTUALLY, have the child become more open to trying new foods. If you take the pressure off and do some of the activities I've blogged about....that should happen. WHEN it does (and remember it is different for everyone-helping an anxious eater is a marathon NOT a sprint) and it WILL, try having your very own Olympic Tasting Event. Here's how... *Pick a food that your child accepts readily but also has different forms, brands or packaging. *Make, print or buy "Olympic" medals *Have a small notebook to keep track of your "Medal Count" (I'll explain more later) Let's use Macaroni and Cheese for our example because many, many, MANY picky eaters LOVE Mac and Cheese...a certain brand of Mac and Cheese to be exact! (1)Purchase three different kinds of Mac and Cheese (if you can) within the same brand (eg. regular, spiral, character shapes). (2) Have your child help you make each one (3) Place the different kinds on the table in three different containers. (4) Make sure you have your "medals" ready to be awarded (5) You, and/or your child should take a taste of each one making sure you talk about the similarities and differences of each one. "this tastes the same even though it's a different shape!" "This is cheesier and you need to chew it a little more etc...) (6) Have a "Medal Ceremony" after the Olympic Tasting Event is completed.  The gold medal should be awarded to the one that would be eaten again without hesitation.
The silver medal should be awarded to the one that would be tried again and eaten, in place of their "regular" style of this food, on occasion. The bronze medal should be awarded to the one that they liked the least and feel that they wouldn't care to try again for some time. After the medals are awarded, have a Closing Ceremony by recording the food, and the medals, in the tasting notebook. I suggest using one page with the food listed at the top. Take pictures of each box, each food after it's cooked or your child eating the foods to place on the page. This will give them a visual reminder of their experience. At the very end of your Olympics, go back through the notebook and record all gold and silver medal foods on a list from which your child can select from for future meals. This list will not only help with meal planning but give a visual reminder to both you and your child of the new foods they have added to their core food list. Enjoy! Stay tuned for ONE more Olympic themed activity for you and your picky eater. As always...thanks for reading my blog. Jen
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Shhh. Don't tell my husband that I'm actually doing "work" while we are on our summer trip. I couldn't help it though... While browsing Facebook one morning, from the porch of our cabin, I came upon a phenomenal Olympic Craft posted by www.nobiggie.net and as I sat pondering how cool it was, I came up with a way to use it for our Picky Eater Olympic unit. Before I fill you in on the details though...take a look at this awesome idea from Nobiggie (and make sure you stop by their blog and share some love with them when you get the directions). 
Now, once you get this awesome craft completed and after you have talked about the significance of these rings (a language lesson bonus!) you can head out to the garden, local Farmer's Market, favorite grocery store or your very own kitchen to find some foods to sort, by color, into the jars (another language bonus!).
An even better idea, and to take the lesson even further, you can search the internet for some foods you haven't tried before, make your Olympic Food Ring list and head out to find the new foods. Another idea (I'm full of them!) you can try is to first sort the foods,whole, into their respective colored jars. Next, you could then cut the foods into smaller pieces and then sort the pieces into jars. This step gives your picky eater an entirely different visual, tactile and olfactory sensory experience AND it just might make them more likely to try the food. They will have the juice on their fingers and see how the food behaves before ever getting it near their mouth. NOW...PAY ATTENTION here....the goal of the lesson is NOT to get the food into your child's mouth (I know, I know but trust me on this one). The goal is to give your child some more experience with new foods WITHOUT going to the mouth FIRST. Be patient my friends and go slowly...have fun and you just might be rewarded with a TRULY Olympic experience when your picky eater actually tries, and likes, one of these new foods. Thanks for reading...stay tuned for another Picky Eater Olympic post SOON. Jen 
So, I'm not feeling that hot tonight and have been perusing Pinterest while I lay on the couch and seeing a lot of Olympic posts and one about "eating around the world" and it hit me...an Olympic theme for our picky eaters. One of the ways to get your picky eater to become a little more adventurous is to "teach" them about the food and where it comes from. What better time to do explore new foods than during the Olympics? First, pick a country to explore (preferably after watching some of the trials or actual Olympic events). You can also find a list of the participating countries at Wikipedia: 2012 Summer Olympics. Say you choose The Bahamas. Find an image of the flag, print them out perhaps and glue them to some bamboo skewers for a centerpiece. 
Next, maybe read a book or two about the country. 
 Find a few of the "staple" foods and recipes for the country. This is Bahamian Johnny Cake.
Have your picky eater (soon to be an "around the world adventurous eater) help you make a grocery list and head to the store. Be sure to have your Olympic eater help you make the recipe. Talk about how the foods look, feel, smell and behave while you are working together as this helps a picky eater become more familiar with the foods before it gets anywhere near their mouth. When the food is ready...PROCEED WITH CAUTION. You should enjoy the food but do not force the food upon your cautious eater. Ask them, after you have enjoyed some, if they might like to try it. If the answer is "no" DO NOT push at that time. Be patient. They may come around a little later. The idea with this lesson is to explore new foods without pressure. Stay tuned, throughout the Olympics, for more picky eater ideas. Thank you for reading. Jen For the Johnny Cake recipe, you can visit www.wanderlustandlipstick.com. All other pictures taken from Wikipedia. |
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