Last week we were stuck in the house for a few days because first my middle kiddo was sick and then she passed it onto her brother. What started off as a simple runny nose turned out to be a full-blown virus that wreaked havoc on our household. The minor symptoms my middle one experienced were treatable compared to what my little guy is still battling. You see, being that his sister was sick, I treated his symptoms the same way I treated hers- with some fever relief and extra hugs. What I didn’t know was lurking in his throat was a full-blown infection, completed with visible bacteria so painful, he couldn’t eat. A few days on antibiotics made his throat much better, but his belly was out of sorts. He stuck to the basic sick-day food groups of carbs and soup, and munched on his favorite Goldfish crackers.
It wasn’t a fun time, but we got through a few days of cabin fever by coming up with some feel-good activities like clay making, storytelling, and even playing with our food. Yes. You heard correctly. We played with our food. What started off as some Goldfish crackers mixed in with soup quickly turned out to be a “what else can we do with Goldfish crackers” event. My 5 year old noticed that her crackers paired well with her brother’s activity table, which featured two ponds, and before long we were coming up with fun stories to entertain each other. Check out my little patients telling stories about their Goldfish–
The best part of this food play is that no food was actually wasted. They ate their fishy actors as they played! Since that day that started it all, my 5 year old has continually looked for ways to make her Goldfish crackers anything but ordinary!