How to Make Vegetable Art for Children

Use vegetables to make art, and then eat it.

Using vegetables to make art is a creative and entertaining project for children, and it may encourage children to eat their vegetables and try new ones. Allow each of your children to make his own vegetable sculpture, but at the end of the project, deconstruct the vegetable sculptures and eat them together.

Things You'll Need

• Large tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Black olives
• Cucumber slices
• Knife
• Toothpicks
• Paper plate
• Salad dressings

Instructions

1. Wash all of your vegetables before beginning. Slice your cucumber into round slices in a thickness of your choice.

2. Place a large tomato at the place setting of each child. The tomato will act like a Mr. Potato Head. A tomato is softer than a raw potato, making it easier for children to work with.

3. Give each child several toothpicks. They will use the toothpicks to decorate their "Mr. Tomato Head."

4. Attach whole olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and any other soft vegetable to the tomato using the toothpicks. Simply place the smaller veggie on one end of the toothpick, and then stick the remaining toothpick end into the tomato.

5. Place the vegetable sculpture on a paper plate. At the end of the project, give "Mr. Tomato Head" some hair by pouring salad dressing on top of the sculpture. Remove the toothpicks before eating your sculptures.

Tips & Warnings

• Monitor the children as they assemble their veggie art, because the toothpicks are sharp. Young children may try to put toothpicks in their mouth.

References

• Village of Joy: Vegetable Art