Edible Art: Food For Play

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

Just the other day we were surveying the ingredients we needed for making sushi, and the dark-green, shiny sheets of nori caught my daughter’s attention.

“Mommy, this would be fun to cut! I could make a picture collage if it’s OK to cut this.”

How could anyone say no to such an inspired quest for creativity? That crinkly texture did indeed look enticing to cut. In fact, it got us both thinking of the ingredients stored in the pantry in a whole new light, and we searched out some other interesting collage candidates.

Armed with heavy cardstock, some white glue and an assemblage of materials, she created an intricate edible landscape. Upon completion, a sesame seed sun shined down upon slivered almond bark trees, atop forest green nori hills originally hailing from the depths of the Atlantic.

Now there’s some food for thought—could food actually kick start some of your kids’ artistic endeavors? While creativity is not one of those things you probably put on the to-do list, it is something that can be nurtured on a daily basis in many different ways. For example, if you’re headed to the bookstore or library soon, try reading one of these enticing titles together: How are you Peeling? by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers, or any of their other intriguing art/food titles for kids, including Fast Food, Baby Food and others. Their enticingly simple creations using ordinary peppers, kiwis, onions and more are sure to get those ideas rolling.

Whether it’s a landscape, a funny face or quiet pattern—even a 3-D sculpture—food ingredients can be an unusual yet interesting way to start some art fun with your kids.

Start with a paper towel, a piece of cardstock or a paper plate, and those intriguing foods can be assembled right before eating an afternoon snack. Here’s a list of ingredients to get you started:

Apple, cantaloupe or melon slices
Grapes, halved or whole
Bananas, sliced lengthwise
Pretzel sticks
Nuts: almond slivers or slices
Seeds: pumpkin, sesame, sunflower
Cereal: fun shapes such as rice chex or Os
Raisins, either plain or yogurt-covered

And if the kids—or you—want to make a more permanent piece of art, grab the glue, and use some of the less perishable ingredients below:

Dried beans: kidney, northern and chickpeas are interesting
Grains: Rice, oatmeal
Pasta: spaghetti, elbows, spirals, cartwheels
Seeds: pumpkin, sesame, sunflower
Chip or pretzel crumbs, sugar sprinkles, and/or cornmeal: Fine sugars and powders can be glued like glitter; when you get to the bottom of the cereal bag, get creative with the crumbs.

And who knows, you may even hear yourself encouraging your kids to play with their food—after all, life is exploration—keep it fun, keep it light, and encourage your kids to think of food (and life!) in new and interesting ways.