You know the story…..the one where you place a plate in front of your little guy or girl and they pick all around it leaving the fruits and veggies on the plate. You’ve tried hiding them in things, and you’ve tried just telling them they have to eat it, but nothing seems to work without a fight.
If this sounds familiar to you, then Today I Ate a Rainbow might be just the thing to motivate your wee ones to make healthier choices.
When I was first introduced to Today I Ate a Rainbow, I thought that it might be a bit too old for my kids (or perhaps the thought of one more thing to keep up with was intimidating), so it took me a few weeks to actually open the package and read the directions. The funny thing is, it is so simple! You get a healthy fruit and vegetable chart which lists fruits and veggies that are in every colour of the rainbow. You get 4 magnet strips (which for most is enough for each child to have their own), 4 sets of fruits and veggies in red, orange, yellow, green, and purple/blue, and 4 Today I Ate a rainbow magnets. The kit also contains a few extras for mom or dad.
I decided to give it a try with my 3 and 5 year old. We sat down and read I Will Never NOT Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child. Then, I brought out Today I Ate a Rainbow! I quickly explained the details of earning one colour for every fruit and vegetable that they eat each day. If they ate a fruit or vegetable from every colour of the rainbow during the day, they would earn their rainbow magnet! At the end of the week, if they had earned rainbows 5 times, they would receive a treat from their treat bag (dollar store items). We hung the magenet strips on the refrigerator and got down to business.
I was so pleased when both children looked up at the refrigerator to see what colours had not been earned when choosing their snacks or when choosing a fruit or vegetable for a meal. They are completely aware of their choices and are so proud of themselves when they earn their rainbow each day. The fact that the magent strip is visual to both the kids and myself has also made me acutely aware of the choices that I am offering them each day. And earning a rainbow is a challenge that they look forward to facing each day!
After three weeks of using this product, Today I Ate a Rainbow is still making an impact on our daily food choices. I am thinking tht maybe, I should be using it for the adults, too!
