Life in the Pink Tower: Play With Your Food

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  This in turn means Dotty also spends a lot of time there.  She was once content to sit up in her high chair, but not any more.  She wants to explore!  A few weeks ago I began washing fruits and veggies and placing them on a kitchen towel on the floor.  I tell her their names and leave her to use her senses to discover them.   It is important to- when we have the option- first introduce our child to the real object.  Seeing a picture of or playing with a toy orange does little to help a child understand what an orange really is.  Here you see Dotty with an orange and it didn't take her long to discover that underneath the peel was a yummy treat.  Of course she would have probably eaten the peel but once she had a bite into it I removed it for her.

I use the names of the foods often while she is working with them.  "I see you are rolling the watermelon." or "The pineapple is rough."  At some point, maybe even another day, when I serve her a food she has been introduced to in this manner I repeat it's name.  Above you see this with a cantaloupe.

This is just one way I can help her get to know the world around her.