Menu Art

What You Need:

• Basic menu
• Paper
• Camera
• Color printer
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers
• Crayons

What You Do:

1. Start with a basic menu. Sit down with your child and explain that they are going to take your boring, ho-hum menu and turn it into something special. Focus on the list of foods you will serve. With your help, have them sort the items into main dishes, side dishes, beverages and desserts.
2. Prepare the text for the menu. Have your child create a heading for each menu item with markers and paper. Get creative and encourage them to come up with a name for your "family restaurant." Alternatively, allow them to type out the headings instead of writing them down. If they use a computer, they'll have access to some fancy fonts.
3. Let them take pictures of the food you will be serving. Print the pictures out and set them alongside their matching headings.
4. Experiment with logos for your fictional restaurant. Your child may need a little help understanding what this is. McDonald’s has the golden arches. Chili’s has the hot pepper. Have your child take a few moments to design a logo.
5. Now it’s time to put the various elements together. Glue the headings and photos onto your menu paper. Don't forget to add in your restaurant's name and logo!
6. When it's time to eat, place your child's menu on display. Now everyone in the family will get to admire their work!

If your child enjoyed this activity, encourage them to get more involved in the meal-planning process. Next time, they can pick out the food at the grocery store and create a menu to go along with it!