Monday Funday: Spring Chicks

I saw this hard boiled egg chick idea at creativefun4you and it was so cute I had to try it! I made these chicks a little nest out of bread crusts, but you could use whatever you have in the pantry like pretzel sticks, crackers, Matzo or even a circle of peanut butter (which could add a really nice finger painting with puree activity...).  The key to these chicks looking adorable rather than sickly is getting a wonderful yellow yolk (without the brownish, greenish layer) which means not overcooking it. This is the best way I've found to make perfect hardboiled eggs  every time. Kids can start getting involved in the activity right away by peeling the eggs (once they're cool), and, if you do the cuts into the white part, they can peel away the top part of the white and the triangles. They can also add little seeds for eyes (I used chia) and an orange triangle for a beak (I used tangerine peel because I realized I didn't have carrots once I'd already started...).Making these chicks is essentially a more complicated and arty version of the 'take apart a hard-boiled egg' activity from the 'how-to food play' week on deconstruct activities.Your child will be learning the same things about the egg: getting used to the smell, what it feels like, how the white part splits and the yellow crumbles. This activity is just a fun, seasonal way to switch it up.Because usually these activities aren't magic bullets. I'd love to tell you that after playing with a hard-boiled egg once, your child will want to eat them all the time. And maybe for some kids they will, but it may take a few times.It may take a lot of times and that perfect combination of opportunity and hunger coinciding at just the right moment for them to try a taste. And even after that taste, they may decide they don't like hard-boiled eggs!But all the opportunities you've given your child to explore foods teaches them that food is safe and food is fun. So the next time opportunity and hunger meet, they may try a food they realize they love! :)It's a process. Let's make it fun! :)Happy food play!