April 21, 2014

Seeing Spots: How to get your kids to read labels

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun... and snap, the job's a game!"   
 -Mary Poppins

For my next trick, I will convince my kids into cleaning out the pantry!  I am only half joking. In my newest attempt make going GF fun, we made a game out of purging the pantry! I came up with an idea to get cheap sticker dots and let her do a scavenger hunt through the nutritional facts. Since she is still learning to read, finding some of the "sneaky" gluten sources was up to me. However, she can identify "WHEAT" and "GLUTEN FREE".


Before I called M in to help, I set up the "game" by pulling everything out of the pantry and doing my research. I referenced a list of hidden gluten sources I found online. I kept the page pulled up on my iPad and wrote a few down on a piece of paper to keep M focused on the game and not on the possibility of playing games on the tablet. I showed her the new pack of stickers and explained what we were doing.



M was immediately into the game. I was pleasantly surprised that she chose to come and help me instead of watching Curious George with Peanut.


M was so proud of herself when she could spot a word on her own.


Peanut even came in to "help" read labels.


Once she had placed a sticker on the gluten-free pantry offender, she placed it in a box to give away.


And here is the pile of "offenders"...



What a great way to spend time with the kids and get a chore knocked off the gluten-free to-do list!

35 comments:

  1. AND a cleanout out pantry as a reward!! I love it!

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  2. Good idea! You are so patient!

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  3. Great idea! You are very patient!

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  4. What a great way to involve her in the process. It helps her take ownership of it!

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  5. What a great idea. I've recently cut gluten and I'm surprised where it is. Well, honestly, I don't even think I know what all of the culprits are to be honest...I usually end up looking for wheat. I love ALDI...they label everything if it's gluten free or not!

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  6. I love these tips and a great way to involve your kids in the process. I need to be better about knowing what food I am buying!

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  7. This is a great idea! My pantry needs some serious TLC right now. I think I am going to try this method when organizing.

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  8. You aren't kidding. Finding gluten can be challenging sometimes because of the things it hides in.

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  9. What a great way to reinforce letter recognition and encourage reading! Great idea!

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  10. This may be the most enjoyable way to clean a pantry that I've ever seen. It's great that she wanted to help and could get rid of the offenders with you!

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  11. It is great getting the kiddos to read everything. It sure helps their reading skills

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  12. That is great that you're teaching her early to look at the labels if she has an allergy or intolerance. It'll help avoid many potential issues in the future!

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  13. Great idea. I never really read labels myself but I love how you get your kids involved here! They will be wise shoppers ;)

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  14. We aren't gluten free and honestly, I don't pay much attention to labels, but I should probably start!

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  15. That's a great way to get the kids involved. And it's a great way to continue to encourage reading too (one of my favorite things to do). :)

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  16. It's great to teach children about what is in their food. Great job!

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  17. Really creative and fun way to let your little ones help with this project. They will remember this and going gluten free will have that much more of an impact for the future.

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  18. That is a really great idea. A good system for families with food allergies too.

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  19. What a great way to get her involved! Getting the kids started early in label reading is a great idea too, even if they don't have any food allergies!

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  20. This is such a great way to get your kids involved! I love this idea!

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  21. I'm trying to start eating better and reading the food labels more. I'm going to also teach my daughters as well.

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  22. This is a fun way to get the kids involved. I've been considering trying a gluten free diet for my family.

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  23. Great way to get your kids to help! Good luck going GF!

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  24. Great tips! I need to have my son helping me read them too.

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  25. Kids should start helping to be responsible for their nutrition at a young age to instill healthy habits! Awareness is key so this is an awesome exercise.

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  26. Great way to get the kids involved! Congrats on the clean-out!

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  27. That is a really smart idea. Great way to get the kids motivated and involved too!

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  28. when my sister went gluten free the table was FULL of all kinds of food. it's amazing how much we don't know about our food

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  29. That's a great idea. The key with my kids is to make things a game of some sort, so this would work for me.

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  30. such a great way to get the kids involved in their own food choices.

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  31. Neat idea. I have found that kids always do better with food choices when they have had a hand in making them.

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  32. Awesome! This is a great way to teach them!

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  33. What a great way to get something done and have the kiddos involved!

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  34. This was a great way to get the kids involved in your new way of eating and living.This method will help them take ownership of their lifestyle.

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  35. ohhhh wow. This is a fantastic idea. I am wondering how it would work in my house.

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