A favorite snack around here is the Rainbow O’s cereal from Cascadian Farm. So today Veronika played with the cereal in three different activities! You could also do any of these activities with Fruit Loops or Fruity Cheerios, but I like the all natural ingredients in the Rainbow O’s.

First up was a simple sensory tub. I filled a round cake pan with some of the cereal and added brightly colored measuring cups for scooping.

Veronika was a lot more interested in tasting and snacking at first…

…but eventually scooping was fun, too.

Next up, we made some art! I had her scribble on a yellow plate with crayon to make the center of a flower.

I glued the plate onto blue cardstock and outlined petal shapes around it. Drip glue over the petal lines, and then cover the glue with the cereal. If your child is in preschool, he or she can definitely help with this step, which will be great for exercising little fingers. Veronika, on the other hand, was quite alarmed to learn she was not allowed to eat the cereal that had glue on it, so much so she burst into tears! So this might have been a little ambitious with a toddler.

Finally, it was time to take some cereal on the go! With visions of spring dancing in our heads, I turned her snack bag into a butterfly: Fill a zip-top bag with some of the cereal, then seal and divide in two with a finger.

Secure with a craft lace.

When you reach your destination, make a necklace! Undo the craft lace and thread some of the cereal onto it, then secure about your child’s neck loosely.

Now a bite is literally at hand the moment the urge to snack hits.