Pretzel Butterfly Lunch

I met a mom recently who told me she is frustrated because her 5-year old daughter never wants to stop playing in order to eat. She asked if I had any suggestions to help her get her daughter excited about mealtime. I suggested she look through my edible crafts for ideas, but I also wanted to dream up something fun for that little girl to combine her love of play with her need to eat. I think these butterflies might be just the thing.

 

I chose the ingredients and quantities based on what a 5-year old might eat for lunch. You can, of course, substitute other ingredients and change the amounts to suit your child's needs and preferences. Affiliate links below. 

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Pretzel Butterfly Lunch

 

Ingredients:

• Pretzel Crisps (2 per butterfly)
• baby carrots (1 per butterfly, plus one extra for antennae)
• ricotta cheese
• 1 T. peanuts
• 1 T. craisins
• 1 T. M&Ms

Instructions: 

(Note: Before giving the ingredients to the child, an adult should use a sharp knife to cut 2 antennae per butterfly. If the child is younger than school age, an adult will need to help spread the ricotta; older children can do this themselves.)

 

Line up pairs of pretzels to make butterfly wings. Spread ricotta on the front side of each wing, then decorate it with peanuts, dried fruit, and candies. Continue until all the wings are decorated. 

Place a baby carrot between each set of wings, then add a pair of antennae at the top. Eat your butterfly creations and any leftover toppings right away while they are fresh and delicious.

This would be really fun as part of a full day of butterfly crafts!

Peanut Picnic Ants

Inspiration can come from the most random things. I was eating peanuts in the shell when I realized my pile of discarded shells looked like a trail of ants. So naturally, I made this:

First, I painted the peanut shells with black acrylic paint (Plaid, of course), and set them aside to dry. I glued scraps of green, white, and red cardstock together, then cut the stack on an angle to make the wedge shape. I used a Sharpie to draw watermelon seeds. I glued the watermelon to the plate, then arranged the peanut shells to make a trail up and over the plate with the watermelon slice. Simple and cute.

This project reminds me of one of my absolute favorite books from childhood. 

I LOVED "I Can't" Said the Ant when I was a kid. I still love it.