Recommended Age: 2.5y+
Level of Parent Involvement: Low, mostly preparation and supervision
Prerequisites
- None
Materials
- Two mandarins in a fruit bowl/basket
- A bowl for the peel
- A serving tray/bowl for the mandarin segments
- Small tongs
Preparation
- For younger children, partially open the peel at the top of each mandarin.
- If possible, place the mandarins (in the fruit bowl/basket), the empty bowl for the peels and the serving tray/bowl on a tray.
Steps
- Explain to your child that before preparing food we need to wash our hands. Accompany your child to the bathroom and show him how you wash your hands. Invite your child to wash his hands in the same way.
- Show your child how to carry the tray to the table.
- Indicating the mandarins, tell your child what they are called. Encourage him to feel and smell them. Talk about what colour they are. Tell your child that they grow on trees and we eat them in autumn and winter.
- Explain to your child that we are going to peel the mandarins to have as a snack.
- Tell your child the names of the items on the tray and explain their purpose.
- Show your child how to peel a mandarin, starting at the top and placing the bits of peel in the bowl as you remove them. Invite your child to finish peeling the mandarin.
- Show your child how to separate the mandarin into segments, placing the segments neatly on the serving tray or in the serving bowl.
- Invite the child to peel and separate a mandarin by himself.
- Place the small tongs next to the serving tray/bowl of mandarin segments.
- Invite your child to help himself to some of the segments and enjoy eating them as a snack.
Variations
- Invite your child to prepare and serve mandarins for other family members.
- Show your child how to cut each mandarin segment in half to remove the pips or to add them to a fruit salad – provide your child with a child-safe knife and a chopping board to do this.
