A friend and I recently wrote and published a book called Creative IQ:  Giving Young Learners the Creative Edge in a Competitive World.  This book provides parents, teachers and care-givers with a multitude of educational and fun activities of which children can partake and that they can solve through creative methods.  Through the development of their exploration, critical thinking and problem solving abilities, the young learners gain confidence to pursue even more challenging issues.  In my experience, children are always more receptive to learning when it is done in a fun environment.

The book is divided into 10 chapters and they include (among others) Chocolotta, You Colour My World, Math-It All Adds Up, Surfing For Fun At The Beach and Creating a Winter Wonderland.  Each chapter contains ten or so activities, some with challenges.  Each activity is aligned to one of the “Building Blocks for Creativity� that identifies the skills being developed.

One of my favourites is Chocolate.  People tend to assume that any activity featuring chocolate is a “junk-food� activity.  This is not always the case.  First of all, did you know that chocolate (in moderation) can be quite healthy?  Second, pairing with chocolate (which is part of one of the activities in our book) is a great way to teach children to try foods they might otherwise not let you bring within five inches of their mouth.  Finally, chocolate can be used to enhance so many summer recipes, one of which I have included below.

Chocolate can be good for you!

There are many benefits to eating chocolate, in moderation.  It is high in antioxidants, it can lower blood pressure and has shown to reduce LDL cholesterol by as much as 10 percent.  Chocolate contains serotonin, a natural anti-depressant.  Chocolate also stimulates endorphin production, which creates feelings of happiness and pleasure.  It has the reputation of being one of the best cancer-fighting foods along with blueberries, garlic, and tea.  Chocolate is high in magnesium which is a mineral that helps in the regulation of digestive, neurological and cardiovascular systems. Essentially, the results of years of studies show that a moderate consumption of chocolate (mostly dark, bitter sweet or semi-sweet) can improve our over-all health.

Let’s play Chocolate Detective!  (advance preparation is required)

In this activity, children use their senses as they play chocolate detective and try to guess what is inside ten different chocolate surprises (prepared by you).  Sight, touch, smell, and taste are all required.  This activity also offers a great way to get kids to taste test foods they would be reluctant to otherwise try.

You will need:

·         8-10 small food items to cover with chocolate such as pretzels, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, dried apricots, carrots, pepper slices, grape tomatoes, olives, marshmallows, cookies, dried mango slices and cubed cheese.  Feel free to substitute any of the above with foods you wish to test.

·         8 ounces/250 grams of semi-sweet chocolate chips

·         Canola or sunflower oil

·         Parchment paper

 

Steps:

1.       Cover a baking tray with parchment paper.

2.       Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a double boiler on the stove (Note: Watch carefully as chocolate can burn quickly).

3.       Add a tablespoon of oil to the chocolate to thin it out for dipping.

4.       Carefully dip each item into the melted chocolate and place it on the parchment paper.

5.       Once all of the food items have been covered in chocolate, place the baking tray in the refrigerator so that the chocolate will harden.

6.       After the chocolate has hardened, place the items on parchment paper or plates, putting a number beside each item.

7.       On a piece of paper, have the detectives write the number of the item and their guess after tasting it.  After trying all of the items, see which guesses are correct.

Note:  As a time saver, you may wish to visit your local grocery or bulk store to see if you can find pre-prepared chocolate covered items.

Chocolate Dipped!

You will need:

·         4 whole bananas, peeled and cut in half

·         1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

·         1 Tbsp. canola or sunflower oil

·         Sprinkles or chopped peanuts, optional

Steps:

1.       Peel bananas and place on a plate in the freezer.

2.       Place the chocolate chips and 1 Tbsp of oil in a glass bowl.

3.       Microwave for 60 seconds and then stir.

4.       Microwave for an additional 30-60 seconds until the chocolate is melted.

5.       Remove the bananas from the freezer and dip into the melted chocolate.

6.       At this point, you can then dip into the sprinkles or peanuts.

7.       Place the dipped banana halves on the plate and into the freezer until the chocolate is hardened.

8.       They can be stored in a re-sealable container in the freezer for up to a month.

Frozen bananas dipped in chocolate…Yummmm!!  We are in the heart of the summer and these refreshing treats are a great way to have your fruit and chocolate too!

 

 

 

(c) Shelley Sefton 2012  

Tags: activities, books, chocolate, Creative IQ, education, enrichment, Imagination Station, Jo-Anne Schneeweiss, Shelley Sefton