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Top Five Veggie Books for Toddlers

11/28/2021

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Reading books to your children that feature vegetables is a great way to normalize veggies and not make them so "scary" when it comes to mealtime. There are so many great books on the market now so it was really difficult to come up with a list of our Top Five. The books that we chose are perfect for toddlers, ages 2-4, and include some classics, informational books, and silly books too!
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Top Five Veggie Books for Toddlers

1. "Up, Down, and Around" by Katherine Ayres
From seeds dropping into soil to corn bursting from its stalks, from children chasing butterflies to ants burrowing underground, everything in this vibrant picture book pulses with life!

2. "LMNO Peas" by Keith Baker
Get ready to roll through the alphabet with a jaunty cast of extremely cute and busy little peas! This fresh and fun alphabet book features bright colors, bouncy rhyming text, and silly pea characters who highlight the wide variety of interests, hobbies, and careers that make the world such a colorful place.

3. "Vegetables in Underwear" by Jared Chapman
A bunch of friendly vegetables wear colorful underwear of all varieties: big, small, clean, dirty, serious, and funny demonstrating for young ones the silliness and necessity of this item of clothing. With rhyming text that begs to be chanted aloud and art that looks good enough to eat, this vibrant story will encourage preschoolers to celebrate having left those diapers behind!

4. "Eating the Alphabet" by Lois Ehlert
A classic veggie book! While teaching upper- and lowercase letters to preschoolers, they are also introduced to fruits and vegetables from around the world.

5. "How are you Peeling? Foods with Moods" by Saxton Freymann
Who'd have dreamed that produce could be so expressive, so charming, so lively and so funny? Amused? Confused? Frustrated? Surprised? Try these feelings on for size. This is a book that asks all the right questions.... and leaves you feeling great no matter what the answers are!

So what do you think?! Leave us a comment below to lettuce know if your favorite book made the list and to suggest other books too.

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.
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Clean Caramel Corn

8/12/2019

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You are sure to enjoy this simple and all-natural caramel popcorn! Popped in coconut oil and sweetened with maple syrup and a little bit of vanilla, it's the perfect afternoon snack or popcorn treat for your next movie night.

"Learn to Love Veggies" Tip

Read the classic children's book, "The Popcorn Book" by Tomie dePaola while enjoying this sweet popcorn snack!

More about this book:
Tony likes to cook. Tiny likes to read. But both twins like to eat . . . POPCORN! So while Tony cooks it, Tiny reads about what popcorn is, how it's stored, how it's cooked, how different Native American people made it, how much popcorn Americans eat, popcorn stories and legends, and popcorn recipes.
Clean Caramel Corn

Clean Caramel Corn

Author: Veggie Buds Club
Popped in coconut oil and sweetened with maple syrup and a little bit of vanilla, this Clean Caramel Corn is the perfect afternoon snack or popcorn treat for your next movie night!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
  • 1/8 cup maple syrup
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. ​Place 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a pot and melt over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels and cover with a tight fitting lid. Shake pan back and forth occasionally until more than 3 seconds elapses between pops. Immediately remove the pot from heat and pour the popcorn into a bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, place the remaining coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt. Boil for 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the popcorn kernels and stir well. Allow to cool and serve.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @veggiebudsclub on instagram and hashtag it #veggiebudsclub
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Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.
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Top 10 Children's Books About Veggies

5/20/2019

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Reading children's books that feature veggies is a great way to normalize veggies and make them fun! We have read a lot of veggie books and have compiled our Top 10. Check them out below!
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Top 10 Children's Books About Veggies

Here is a list of our "Top 10 Children's Books Featuring Veggies" in alphabetical order by author:
  1. 1 2 3 Peas by Keith Baker
  2. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
  3. Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks
  4. Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson
  5. Soup Day by Melissa Iwai
  6. We're Going to the Farmers' Market by Stefan Page
  7. Zora's Zucchini by Katherine Pryor: 
  8. Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
  9. Rah, Rah, Radishes! by April Pulley Sayre
  10. Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.
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9 Letter "B" Activities Featuring Veggies

2/25/2018

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We hope your enjoy these 9 fun and interactive activities and recipes that teach your preschool-aged kids about the letter "B" (and that veggies are fun and tasty!).
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1. Read Books!

Enjoy our recommended "B" books featuring veggies and fruit (and honey!):
  • "The Beeman" by Laura Krebs and Valerie Cis
  • "Beans on Toast" by Paul Dowling
  • "Eating the Alphabet" by Lois Ehlert
  • "Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli" by Barbara Jean Hicks
  • "There's Broccoli in my Ice Cream!" by Emily MacKenzie
  • "The Lima Bean Monster" by Dan Yaccarino
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2. Paint with Broccoli

Simply dip broccoli florets in washable paint and use them as "paintbrushes" and/or slice broccoli florets in half to make "tree stamps". So simple and so fun!
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3. Letter "B" Tracing

Download this FREE letter "B" tracing sheet from Veggie Buds Club.
letter_b_veggie_tracing_sheet.jpg
File Size: 204 kb
File Type: jpg
Download File

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4. Bake Some Beet Brownies!

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5. Letter "B" Coloring Pages

Download these FREE letter "B" coloring pages from Veggie Buds Club.
b_is_for_beets.jpg
File Size: 55 kb
File Type: jpg
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b_is_for_bell_peppers.jpg
File Size: 64 kb
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b_is_for_broccoli_basic.jpg
File Size: 53 kb
File Type: jpg
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6. Bake Some Broccoli Nuggets

Enjoy this delicious kid-approved recipe from Veggie Buds Club and Happy Kids Kitchen. You can find the recipe here!
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7. Make Beet Watercolor

Materials Needed
  • 1 small red beet
  • Salt
  • White vinegar
  • Paper
  • Paintbrush
Instructions
  1. Peel beet and cut into cubes.​
  2. Place the cubed beet and 1 cup of water in a pot.
  3. Bring the pot of water to a boil on the stove top and boil until the beet cubes are soft and the water is a rich red color (approximately 15-20 minutes); remove beet cubes and set aside to eat at a later time.
  4. Mix a pinch of salt and splash of vinegar into the hot water (the salt will act as a preservative and the vinegar will brighten the color).
  5. Pour the beet watercolor into a bowl and let cool.
  6. Now have fun painting pictures with your homemade beet watercolor!
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8. Broccoli Activity Sheets

Have fun with these broccoli activity sheets! Create the letter "B" by using dot stickers or dot paint with Activity Sheet #1. Fill in the letter "B" with broccoli florets with Activity Sheet #2 (bonus if you have a laminator!).
b_is_for_broccoli_dot_art.jpg
File Size: 94 kb
File Type: jpg
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b_is_for_broccoli_florets.jpg
File Size: 104 kb
File Type: jpg
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9. Play Bean Tic Tac Toe

Make a Tic Tac Toe board out of green beans and use two different types of dry beans as the X's and O's! You can also go a step further and create the letter "B" with dry beans and greens beans. Be sure to eat some green beans as a snack while you play!
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Want your kids to eat more veggies?

Check out our shop for interactive and fun products that teach kids that veggies are fun and tasty! In our shop you can find kid-safe knives, interactive placements, veggie-themed activity boxes, and more!
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7 Fun Letter "A" Activities featuring Veggies & Fruit

1/31/2018

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We hope you enjoy these 7 activities that teach your preschool-aged kids about the letter "A" (and that veggies and fruit are fun!).
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1. Read Books!

Here are some of our recommended books featuring veggies & fruit and the letter "A":
  • "Eating the Alphabet" by Lois Ehlert
  • "The Apple Pie Tree" by Zoe Hall
  • "Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship" by Edward Hemingway
  • "Curious George: Apple Harvest" by H. A. Rey
  • "Ten Apples on Top" by Dr. Seuss
  • "Up, Up, Up! It's Apple Picking Time" by Jody Fickes Shapire
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2. "A" is for Apple Craft

Both my 2 and 4 year old had fun with this craft! I cut out some apple seed shapes and drew the lower case letter "a" and apple stem on construction paper. My 4 year old was able to trace the word "Apple", cut out the "a" and stem and use a glue stick to put the picture together. I assisted my 2 year old through the whole craft, he particularly enjoyed using the glue stick!

3. Letter "A" Tracing

Download this FREE Letter "A" Tracing Sheet below:
veggie_buds_club_a_tracing_paper.jpg
File Size: 201 kb
File Type: jpg
Download File

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4. Make Applesauce!

Enjoy this simple kid-friendly recipe for Applesauce (we added a carrot because this is Veggie Buds Club!). Your kids can help peel and chop the apples and carrot. Have them measure and add the apple juice and then observe the rest of the process.
Ingredients
  • 4 apples
  • 1 carrot
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
Instructions
  1. Peel and chop apples and carrot.
  2. Add apple juice, chopped apples, and chopped carrot to a large pot.
  3. Simmer for about 20 minutes over medium heat until the carrots are tender
  4. Place softened apples and carrots into a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth.

5. Letter "A" Coloring Pages

Download these FREE Letter "A" Coloring Pages!
a_is_for_apple.jpg
File Size: 402 kb
File Type: jpg
Download File

a_is_for_asparagus.jpg
File Size: 239 kb
File Type: jpg
Download File

a_is_for_avocado.jpg
File Size: 415 kb
File Type: jpg
Download File

6. Apple-Toothpick Building

Here is a simple and fun "snacktivity" that is great for fine motor skills, problem solving, and encourages healthy eating. My 2 year old is not an apple fan (he's more of a berries and grapes guy) and he totally ate up these apple chunks on toothpicks!

7. Apple Oxidation Science Experiment

This is a simple science experiment for young kids! Even if they're too young to process why oxidation happens, it is still great to expose them to the idea of a "science experiment" and "observation". Make sure they observe what the apple halves look like at the beginning of the experiment vs. the end!

Materials Needed
  • Apple 
  • Lemon Wedge
  • Knife
Instructions
  1. Cut the apple in half.
  2. Rub the lemon wedge on the cut side of one of the apple slices.
  3. Place both apple halves on a plate with the cut side exposed to air.
  4. Check on your apple halves in about 3 hours and observe the differences.
The apple half that was not rubbed with lemon juice should have browned a bit and the apple half with lemon juice on it should still look fresh.
There are compounds in apples that turn brown when they are exposed to air which contain oxygen. This process is called oxidation. If you add an acid to the apple this prevents oxidation, and lemons are very acidic. 
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Want your kids to eat more veggies?

Check out our shop for interactive and fun products that teach kids that veggies are fun and tasty! In our shop you can find kid-safe knives, interactive placements, veggie-themed activity boxes, and more!
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