Earth Day Activity: Chocolate Pudding Dessert
Global warming, environmental concerns and pollution are concepts that may be too abstract to be understood by children.
But these concepts can be made more concrete with activities where the kids can touch, feel and see. For example, planting a seed, watering it and watching it grow into a plant is the best way to learn that Nature is both strong and vulnerable, and that our actions (or lack thereof) can have a profound impact on it.
To make such a learning activity even more fun, and enhance the impact it will have on the children, why not combine it with a recipe where we can all pretend to eat dirt and worms! This "earth pudding" looks like potting soil but for sure doesn't taste like it.
Ingredients
- instant chocolate pudding
- milk
- chocolate cookies
- sour worms
- fresh mint leaves
Utensils
- pan or other container
- whisk (to mix)
- tablespoon (to crush the cookies)
- plastic cups
- teaspoons (to savour the dessert)
Instructions
Prepare chocolate pudding according to the recipe on the box.
Pour a good amount of chocolate pudding in each glass.
Crush chocolate cookies to give them the appearance of potting soil.
Spread one to two cm (½ to 1 in) of chocolate cookie crumbs over the pudding.
Decorate with sour worms and/or fresh mint leaves.
Bon appetit!
And now the real thing
After enjoying this delicious dessert, wash the plastic cups and reuse them.
Put potting soil in the plastic cup.
Plant seeds, water them and observe the plants as they grow.
If you don't take good care of the plant, for example if you give it too little or too much water, or not enough sun light, it will not survive!
