Fun food growing activities to try at home

At Little Pioneers, we believe it’s important for our children to know exactly where their food comes from. That’s why we’ve designed daily activities in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework to teach them just that.

Like planting their own fruit and veg in our nursery growing areas (that we use in our yummy meals once ripe!), cooking together and even learning to compost our leftover food to reduce food waste. If they’re not growing or cooking actual food, our children also love using their imaginations to whip up fab meals in our mud kitchen!

We’ve designed four fun, easy activities to help your child learn about growing food at home too. 

Salad cress heads 

Have an extra yoghurt pot or aluminum can lying around? How about empty egg shells? Your child can use them to grow their very own indoor herb garden in just a week!

Here’s what you do:

1. Have your child decorate the pot, can or shells with a face (so the cress can form the hair!).

2. Wet some kitchen roll or cotton wool and place it in the bottom.

3. Sprinkle some cress seeds (about a teaspoon) onto the cotton wool or kitchen roll and press gently with your fingers.

4. Pick a sunny spot by the window (that your child can also access) to place the pot or shells

5. Make sure your child sprinkles a little water into the pot each day to help the cress grow tall.

6. Once the cress reach about 5cm, cut the cress and add to a sandwich or salad for a tasty, nutritious boost!

Grow your own tomato sauce

If you have a nice warm, sunny spot indoors or out, your child will love growing the ingredients to make their very own tomato sauce. Just plant a large pot with tomatoes (a small cherry tomato works well) and herbs like oregano, basil and parsley. When it starts producing fruit and leaves, help your child pick their harvest and blend it into their very own homemade tomato sauce.  Perfect for pasta night!

Egg carton greenhouses

Instead of throwing out the carton when you finish your next dozen eggs, save it for this fun egg carton ‘greenhouse’ activity!

Follow these steps at home with your child:

1. Cut the lid off an egg carton and set aside.

2. Have your child decorate the egg carton however they like to personalise their mini greenhouse.

3. Add potting soil to each hole (about 3/4 of the way full).

4. Sprinkle seeds (flowers or herbs – let your child choose!) into each hole and then add a bit of water.

5. To create a greenhouse effect, cover the carton with a bit of cling film and place in an easy-to-reach windowsill.

6. Once the seeds begin to sprout, remove the cling film and water regularly. Your child will love watching their upcycled garden grow! 

Create your own mini garden 

If you have the outdoor space, work with your child to grow their very own mini garden. 

For the best results, stick to easier to grow, hardy veg like leafy greens, carrots, peas, cabbages, cauliflower or broccoli. Gardens require daily attention so build the activity into your morning or evening routine. You can even assign special roles to your child like watering, hunting for veg-eating bugs like snails (and relocating them to safer areas of the garden!) and harvesting and cooking the bounty once ready.

Your child will love sitting down to a meal with you that they helped create.

Healthy enthusiasm

Whichever activity you choose, try to discuss food and where it comes from with your child whenever possible. This is especially fun at mealtimes – can you guess how we grow a carrot? What about a bean? When you’re excited about cooking and eating healthily, your child will be too.

If you’d like more information about our food growing and healthy eating philosophy at Little Pioneers, visit our Healthy Living and Wellbeing page.