Cutting a Banana
Want to provide a healthy snack in the classroom (or at home)? Rather than simply setting out a bowl bowl of bananas, provide instead a banana cutting activity, allowing each child to prepare his/her own snack.
- Pre-mark the banana with 2-3 starting lines (control of error) to indicate where to start cutting. Perhaps a slight cut along each line to help start the process.
- Add an empty bowl for discarding peel sections (which will then be emptied into compost bin).
- Provide a another bowl for the banana slices, to share with others or eat alone after cleaning up. (Provide a lid to keep leftovers.)
Children love to cut their own bananas…and we love to hear them say, “I can do it myself!”
*For the classroom, we recommend using a duller knife than shown in this photo (to meet possible licensing requirements). At home, you may use use a sharper knife. The child will need to ask for the knife, rather than having it sit out on the tray. This cues the adult to be keenly (but subtly) observant.
Photos provided by Sarah D, UMA student in training from South Africa…thanks Sarah!
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