Monkey Platters

In addition to a gobload of unschooling information, Sandra Dodd's website has information about Monkey Platters.

After seeing a zoo trainer give the monkeys a platter of snacks, they started calling it a monkey platter at home. A monkey platter is a plate full of finger foods, easy to munch on while playing video games, watching movies, or doing anything else where one becomes so engrossed he may forget to eat.

I loved the idea the minute I heard it. It is especially common for Brady to get lost in his computer work and forget to eat, then come careening into the kitchen hours later, about to have a meltdown if he doesn't get food into himself at that very moment.

Whenever the boys are deeply engrossed in an activity and I notice they haven't eaten, I grab whatever we have on hand and make up a platter, set it in front of them, and it disappears. This is a fine way to test out foods they normally wouldn't select - who wouldn't eat what's already prepared in front of them? It sure beats scrounging for ingredients and making something when you'd rather be gaming.

Chopped veggies and fruit, nuts, seeds, raisins, cubes of cheese. Bowls of hummus, salad dressing, peanut butter, or caramel for dipping. Crackers, sesame sticks, dried cereal, or chunked up granola bars.

Wait, did someone mention granola bars?

Hmmm, now that's a thought.... I think I'll make a monkey platter and set it in front of the boys and their friends.

It's always verrrrry interesting to see what gets eaten and what doesn't.

Redemption is mine!

(P.S. Apparently my new favorite word is gobload.)