Edible Farm

So this is a taste safe, fun and simple activity to try at home that can be enjoyed with toddlers and older children alike. Small world play is always a hit in our home and this was no exception. It is great for developing imagination, language and is importantly lots of fun.

Set Up

I used frozen peas, weetabix and mini shredded wheats. I also used cocoa powder as the mud which was a hit with M for eating purposes. However, the cocoa was messy and although messy can be fun, when I repeat the activity and if I would like it to be less messy I might use ground coffee instead. Also to contain the mess in future, a tray or box with higher sides would help. However flatter trays are easier for younger ones to access. The farm animals can be bought from Amazon and are great for a range of activities .

There was no need for me to model playing with this one, as they both got stuck straight in. Animals were fed, food was crushed and mixed for them. The pigs were allowed to wallow in the mud. F enjoyed making the various animal noises and the noise of them tucking into the food. “Num, num, num!” It did get messy, very messy, hands, clothes and even faces were covered with a layer of brown cocoa. It didn’t bother the girls one bit. I just wished they hadn’t been wearing such light colours!

M was busy as the farmer looking after the animals and creating her own story scenarios. I found the way that F played particularly fascinating. She was using the animals feet to crush up the weetabix and clearly found it highly satisfying to crush a big pieces into lots of tiny pieces. She also started to use the animals feet to draw and make patterns in the cocoa powder that had spilled over onto the table. This gave me an idea for our next activity! They had a great time and even once the mess was cleaned up; the girls had to give the animals a bath just like their cousin had. And they continued to play farms with the animals once inside.