I took my 2 year old strawberry picking for the first time yesterday. He was so excited- the minute we got out of the car he spotted the patch and squealed with delight- “SCRAWBERRIES!!!”
One of his favorite books is “Blueberries for Sal”
My son loved seeing the strawberries on the vine, and asked me endless questions about how they grow. I really feel that going on these “pick your own” adventures is not only fun, but an amazing learning experience. It helps him appreciate his food more as he sees the way it exists in nature and gains a deeper understanding for the work that goes into growing and harvesting. Yes, I believe this is even sinking in at 2 and a half, but I know he’ll learn more and more the older he gets.
So far we’ve eaten tons of fresh strawberries, cut them up and put them on our oatmeal, made a delicious Strawberry Spinach Salad, and made strawberry ice pops. I plan to freeze the rest for our summer smoothies.
Strawberry picking isn’t the easiest activity with a 7 months pregnant belly, but I’m really glad I didn’t think about that too much before we went- it was worth every minute of it!