stART: Dog Food
Make fruits and veggies fun!
• Dog Food, by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
• an assortment of fruits and vegetables
• paint
• paper plates
• paper
Read Dog Food with your child (if available). In this newest creation by authors Freymann and Elffers, you find fruits and vegetables cut and arranged to make all kinds of dog “sculptures” — including “chilly dog,” “dog paddle,” and “sick puppy.”  Next, make fruit and vegetable prints. Cut fruits and vegetables in half or in large pieces so that kids can grasp them easily and use them to make prints. Possibilities include apples, oranges, lemons, bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes.  Pour tempera paint into paper plates. Invite your child to dip the fruits and vegetables into the paint, and then make prints on paper.  After the prints dry, encourage your child to try to match the prints to the fruits or vegetables that made them.  For more food fun, cut up fruits and vegetables and encourage your child to make food sculptures. She could make a person, a house, or even a dog!
• provides practice with matching
• develops observation skills
• encourages creativity
