Valentine’s Day Class Party Idea: Have a “Red Tasting Party”

If you’re looking for a healthy Valentine’s Day class party idea, have a “Red Tasting Party” and let kids sample all kinds of red fruits and veggies.
If you’re looking for a healthy Valentine’s Day class party idea, here’s one that’s especially fun for preschool or young grade school children: Have a “Red Tasting Party” with fruits and veggies in all shades of scarlet.

Set out a buffet of red (and even pink) fruits and veggies like the ones above. More ideas:

• Pomegranate seeds
• Red apples
• Watermelon
• Pink grapefruit
• Blood oranges
• Beets
• Red onion
• Dried or fresh cranberries
• Dried or fresh cherries
• Red pears

Give everyone a fun Valentine plate and have kids get their samples using toothpicks or tongs–or have grown-ups distribute the fruits and veggies. You can taste things one by one as a class and talk about flavor, texture, aroma, and color. You could give it an educational spin too. When I’ve done tastings with preschoolers and kindergarteners, we’ve had fun making a big chart together and having each kid graph their favorite.

And chances are, someone’s going to taste a food they’ve never had before–or try something again they didn’t think they liked. Seeing your peers tasting new foods is a powerful and positive influence.

So if you’re looking for a healthy Valentine’s Day class party idea that’s fun and outside-the-box, give this a try!