Witch's Soup

What you need

• chopped orange vegetables: carrot, squash or sweet potato
• a big bowl
• a wooden spoon

How to do it

1. Wash hands together first, then chop the vegetables for your lunch soup into chunks yourself, out of their reach, and put them in a big bowl.
2. Set the empty soup pan on a low table or the floor, cold and well away from the heat.
3. Let them drop the chunks into the pan one at a time while you both name each one.
4. Give it a big witchy stir together with the wooden spoon.
5. Lift the pan up to cook it yourself while they stay back, then share the soup at lunch once it has cooled.

Why it matters

Dropping in real food and naming it gives them a real job in making lunch, and children are often keener to try a soup they helped make.

What they're learning

Naming

Carrot, squash, potato: saying the word as it goes in links the name to the real food.

Helping

A real job with a real result shows them that what they do matters to the family.

Trying new foods

Handling the vegetables before they are cooked makes them more familiar on the plate.

What to look for

Watch for them naming a vegetable before you do. Keep raw carrot out of mouths, as hard raw chunks are a choking risk.

A tip

Only ever let them help while the pan is cold and off the heat, and keep them well back once it is cooking.

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