Play food is a fantastic way for children to play and learn! By playing with toy food, children are able to emulate the adults in their life by “cooking” and “baking” while also developing motor skills, logic skills, sense of cause and effect—the list goes on!
Play food is a fantastic way for children to play and learn! By playing with toy food, children are able to emulate the adults in their life by “cooking” and “baking” while also developing motor skills, logic skills, sense of cause and effect—the list goes on! Unfortunately, play food can sometimes be expensive, and food sets might not have certain items that children are used to cooking and eating at home.
That’s why Shelley Nicholson and Jessica Martinez have come up with ways to build play food out of things you have at home! In their book Thrifty Teacher’s Guide to Creative Learning Centers, they provide several examples of food items made from everyday objects, like literal sponge cakes!
Materials
• Sponges
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrushes
• Puffy paint
• Red pompom
• Hot-glue gun (adult use only)
• Scissors or craft knife (adult use only)
What to Do
1. Cut the sponge into a triangular or round shape
2. Paint the top with acrylic paint to create icing
3. Add sprinkles using puffy paint
4. Glue a red pompom cherry on top
