This edible maths activity invites children to have fun making, exploring, & eating some simple maths facts! Perfect for snack time, an after school treat, or as part of a maths session, these yummy savoury owls allow children to investigate a number of maths concepts.
To make one owl snack you'll need:
1 round cracker
1 thin slice of cheese/cheese square
1 small banana (peeled & chopped)
1 carrot (peeled & sliced in rounds)
Slice of apple (cut in half)
2 grapes (both cut in half)
1 small round double edge cookie cutter with plain & fluted edges (scone cutter)
A child's knife
(I found it easier to prepare & chop all the ingredients before offering them to the children.)
To create the body for the owl use the plain edge of the cookie cutter to cut out a circle from the cheese slice & then place this on top of the cracker. This offers a neat opportunity to explore shape & the children can be invited to find the other circular shaped ingredients (the sliced banana, chopped grapes & carrot).
To make the owl's feet use the fluted edge of the cookie cutter to cut the slice of carrot in half, & then position the feet at the bottom of the cracker. This offers a little opportunity to explore fractions & again children can explore which other ingredients have been cut in half (grapes, slice of apple).
Add the banana slices & grapes to the cracker to create the eyes, & the apple slices to the sides to create the wings. To complete the owl invite the children to cut a small triangle from a slice of carrot to make a beak & then place it on top of the cheese. Voila! One little owl is ready to go!
* Add the items together as they make their individual owl.
* Before making their owls order the ingredients in increasing/decreasing size
* Group the ingredients into similar shape or size
* Count in twos (or should that be twoos!) as the ingredients are added to the cracker
(2 grapes + 2 banana slices + 2 apple slices etc.)
* Make predictions & explore subtraction by removing & eating different ingredients!
How many items did you start with? How many will be left when you eat the wings, or feet etc?
* If making these in a group, children could add all the owls together, or work out how many wings, eyes etc there are in the group.
* Explore symmetry
* Explore fractions by eating only half the owl (a tough one as these owls a rather yummy!)
However you use these, I hope you enjoy discovering & eating lots of maths facts!