Cooking With Kids: Egg-Sicles

Encouraging Speech & Creating Yum! Egg-Sicles

Egg-sicles are an egg-cellent activity/recipe for Spring! We are always trying to figure out healthier, sweet treat options for the kids and family to eat and enjoy. These egg-sicles are perfect: they made from real fruit and coconut water and you could also make them using your favorite smoothie recipe (not shown in this recipe, but, we tested them out with a chocolate, peanut butter, protein, almond milk with frozen banana slice surprise in the middle that was super delicious).

Egg-Sicles Ingredients

• 1/2cup mixed frozen berries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)

You could also use your favorite smoothie recipe for this activity.

• Plastic Easter eggs lollipop sticks
• Grooming scissors (small pointed ones with curved edges)
• Small funnel or piping tip to fill the eggs

Cooking Directions

Adult Prepare plastic eggs: Adult first, tip the eggs upside down; you will notice two holes in the bottom of the plastic egg. Two of these holes are for letting the air escape when filling the egg and the third one should be in the center of the bottom. Using the tip of the scissors (or a knife) gently poke a hole in the center. Then, using the grooming scissors cut a circle in the bottom of the egg. Not too big, just big enough for the funnel to fit in and where the lollipop stick will be placed. We recommend that the adult does this prep portion of the project in advance as it was the most challenging until we decided to use the craft mustache/grooming scissors. Wash and rinse dry plastic eggs.

Child Egg Prep: After parent has prepared plastic eggs by cutting a hole in the bottom. Place eggs in the empty egg carton with the new hole facing up.

Directions

Adult: Get out the blender and set up.

Adult/Child: Measure out 1/2 cup of mixed berry, frozen fruit and a 1/2cup of frozen blueberries and add to blender.

Adult/Child: Measure 1 cup of coconut water (Coconut water can be replaced with coconut milk, almond milk or soy milk).

Adult//Child: Once all ingredients are in the blender, cover and then puree until smooth.

Adult/Child: Get the carton with all of the “hole-y” eggs the use a funnel or piping tip to fill each one until almost full.

Child: Stick the lollipop stick into the center of each egg.

Adult: Place in Freezer overnight or until firm. Serve when frozen.

Eat! Talk! Enjoy!

Language Time Tips:

1. Build vocabulary: Use nouns and actions. Nouns: Berries, honey, egg, coconut water, sticks, blender, etc. Actions: dip, cut, fill, tip, poke, puree, turn on, freeze, pour, etc.

2. Colors and Size: With this recipe, focus on the various colors of the different ingredients. This recipe has tons of bright colors from the ingredients. Use contrasting colors such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. Talk about how they are same and different. What is larger, a strawberry or a blueberry? What color do you make when you puree the blue and red together?

Comment and Describe: Encourage comments throughout the whole process of prepping the eggs and then filling them. As you are gathering the ingredients, let your child sample them and model language such as “sweet”, “juicy”, “tangy”, etc.

Sequencing and recalling information: There are many steps to this recipe but breaking them down can be easy especially when the eggs are already prepped. Since you are blending the ingredients together in a blender in no particular order, allow your child to make choices about what to add first, then and next. After that step is done, use visual and verbal prompts to help your child follow along with the recipe. Take photos of each steps and review when the recipe is complete.

Answering and asking “wh” questions: Sample “wh” questions include: “What fruits did we use?” “How did we fill the eggs?”, “What shape are the eggs?” Encourage your child to ask questions throughout the process of making this fun recipe by modeling language to help facilitate asking questions.

Literacy: Write down the steps on individual post it notes. Have your child read the steps and then put them in order at the end of the recipe.

Books recommended: Hank Finds an Egg

Recipe inspired by Kara at www.akailochiclife.com

Helpful Articles

• Cooking With Kids: Grape-sicles
• Getting Ready for Summer Fun: Being GFCF & Other Healthy Ideas
• Spring Break Fun 7 Recipes to Make Together
• Doug’s out of the Classroom “Sweet Tooth” Rules to Follow This Summer
• Cool Rules: Preventing Heat Stress In Special Needs Children
• Cooking With Kids: Easy Scrambled Eggs
• Cooking with Kids: Hatching “wide-eyed” Chicks (Deviled Eggs)

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This post originally appeared on our March/April 2016 Magazine