Cooking With Kids: Strawberry & Lime Infused Water

Encouraging Speech & Creating Yum! Strawberry & Lime Infused Water.

Fruit Infused Water Combinations: With summer around the corner, how about ditching the juice boxes and soda and create a healthy fruit infused water instead? The beauty of making your own infused waters is that you can create any combination that your kids, or you, desire and add as little or as much fruit into your drink! Let the kids choose the fruit combinations for upcoming infused water while doing your weekly grocery shopping.

Strawberry & Lime Infused Water Ingredients

•  Strawberry & Lime
• 2 quarts of water
• 10 Strawberries, thinly sliced
• 1- 1-1/2 Limes, thinly sliced
• Pre-wash all fruit.
• Ice
• Any combinations of fruits will work.
• Try Citrus Blend
• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, thinly sliced
• 1/2 a lemon, thinly sliced

Directions

Parent/Kiddo: Cut the tops of the Strawberries off.

Kiddo: Thinly slice strawberries. Tip: Use an egg slicer for safety!

Parent/Kiddo: Thinly slice limes Parent Tip: start all the cut marks for your child, then let your child cut each slice using a serrated, plastic fork. Citrus rinds can create a bitter flavor, if you find this recipe bitter, cut off citrus rinds before infusing.

Kiddo: Add the limes first and use a wooden spoon to squash the limes at the bottom of the jar. Next, add Strawberries

Kiddo: Add water

Kiddo: Stir with wooden spoon.

Parent/Kiddo: Let water infuse for at least two-four hours or in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying it.

Eat! Talk! Enjoy!

Watch our video Cooking With Kids: Poptails a fun way to make a Healthier summer drink.

How long does fruit-infused water last? You can drink & enjoy your refrigerated infused water for about 3 days after infusing. You can reuse the same fruit and add another batch of freshwater once you have gone through your first batch. The fruit can be used (typically) up to three times, but it will also depend on the freshness of the fruits you are using. When in doubt; toss it out. Then, start with a fresh batch of fruit.

Language Time Tips:

1. Work on categories by discussing what ingredients you are adding to the water. Discuss whether it’s a fruit or vegetable and where it grows.
2. Encourage commenting by exploring citrus fruits such as lime and lemon. How are they different? How are they the same?
3. Work on sequencing by retelling the steps of the recipe.
4. Explore different ways of making the recipe by adding different fruits, vegetables, and herbs of your choice.
5. Work on actions such as cut, mix, pour, wash.
6. When drinking your infused water, compare it with regular water. Encourage your child to discuss the differences and why.
7. Discuss what happens to the color of the water as time progresses. Take a photo and compare how it looks Day 1 and then again Day 4. What happens to the water and why?
8. Work on a prediction by asking your child what it would taste like if you added a certain ingredient. For example, if you added a lot of orange zest, what would the water taste like?
9. Encourage expanding vocabulary by discussing new words related to fruits and vegetables.
10. Encourage your child to make their own infused water by requesting different ingredients.
11. Ask “wh” questions such as “Why do we wash off the fruit before using it?”, “Where do strawberries grow?”.

Carryover Picture Books for this Recipe

Do You Want Your Child to Eat a Rainbow Diet?>>

Becca Eisenberg is a mother of two young children and a speech-language pathologist, author, and instructor. Her website, https://languageduringmealtime.com/ encourages learning time during mealtime. On her website, she writes children’s book recommendations, app recommendations, as well as child-friendly recipes with language tips for their family.  

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This post originally appeared on our May/June 2015 Magazine