• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

try something new with kids: coconut

home / Activities / cooking / new for us foods / try something new with kids: coconut
53 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

try something new coconutWe’re big fans of mixing up the fun and learning over here, always trying a little something new each week.

We’ve done restaurants, foods, crafts, games, vacations, and more. It’s always fun, and while it keeps Maddy, Owen, and Cora on the hunt for new and exciting things to try, it also keeps their minds open for trying new things.

What I haven’t realized is that even if we tried something new a year or two ago, it’s worth revisiting again.

Like the coconut.

Here’s the skinny. . .

  • Try Something New With Your Kids–Coconut:ย  We rocked the coconut years ago. I mean years ago.

Check it out: New for us Friday–Going Coconutty!

Written on July 17, 2009–four years ago. And my kids had little to no memory of it.

So when we were at the grocery store this past weekend and saw the coconuts sitting there smiling at us from the shelf, Maddy said, Mom! Hey! Let’s get a coconut and try it out!

I said, Maddy, we already did that–I’m sure you remember, don’t you? It was so hard to open and we had to watch YouTube videos about it. Remember?

She didn’t.

And neither did Owen.

And neither did Cora.

try something new -- coconut

 

try something new -- coconut

So of course we bought the coconut because really? If my kids were doing these cool things and weren’t remembering, then by all means, we’ll rock a Coconuts 2.0.

And Coconuts 3.0 if we must.

The crazy thing? I had no recollection of how to properly open a coconut. So it was really a smart idea for our family to do a coconut-do-over. Clearly we needed it.

We checked out my previous post on How to Open a Coconut to refresh our memories. We watched the videos, looked at the photos, and then got to work.

try something new -- coconut

This whole thing? Dangerous.

try something new -- coconut

Keep your kids away if you are a smart parent. . .

try something new -- coconut

. . . not like me who left them to run in and answer the phone.

The whole coconut-opening process was not easy. I tried everything on the video, but I could. Not. Open. The. Coconut.

Poking a hole and getting the coconut water out was easy.

It was finding the ‘equator’ and cracking it in half that was difficult.

Phone rang. Like a good mama, I ran in to get it. (Our air conditioning was broken! It could have been the repair person!) I left Maddy with the hammer and the feisty coconut.

try something new -- coconut

My determined girl.

try something new -- coconut

Putting the coconut on the ground and hammering it seemed to have been the ticket.

Or a really, really strong 9 year old. . .

try something new -- coconut

Maddy did it.

While on the phone with the HVAC guy (I swear it was him!), I heard: MOMMY!! I DID IT! I DID IT! I DIDDDDD IT! MOOOOOOM!!!how to get your kids to try new foods

I ran outside, hoping to God that she didn’t bust her finger or break the porch, and I found the cracked coconut and a super-happy Maddy.

All I had to do was put it on the ground, hit it hard, and it cracked! Wooo-hooo!!!!

We tried the coconut (once again), and we determined that we had the same tastebuds after four years: we were not fans of the coconut meat. At all.

But we worked hard, tried it, and now–hopefully–my kids will remember.ย  And if anyone has a suggestion for opening a coconut with ease, please do share. I’d love to learn.

Not that we’re going to try coconuts again anytime soon, but in another four years, who knows. . . just a little learning on the fly, on a hot summer afternoon.

Want a few more ways to get kids to try new foods?ย  Click on Get Your Kids to Try New Foods for some inspiration! ย  Or check out our neat-o, fun, NEW things for us to try pinterest board!

You May Also Like...

  • how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
    how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
  • everything free and awesome online to do while kids are home: classes, crafts, virtual tours and more
    everything free and awesome online to do while kids are home: classes, crafts,…
  • st. patrick's day BRAIN TEASER scavenger hunt
    st. patrick's day BRAIN TEASER scavenger hunt

About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post: « tabletop surprises week one | ideas for free exploration and play each day of the week tabletop surprises: simple, summer learning fun
Next Post: learn and play independently: tabletop surprises week 2 tabletop surprises week two »

Sidebar

our books & freebies

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader
amy mascott profile blog
subscribe teachmama

join the coolest club around:

Find Us On Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
Itโ€™s absolutely true. 
100%
#Facts

<<Not sure exactly where this image originated. Will credit once I find out.>>

#MyBodyMyChoice #KeepYourLawsOffMyBody
View
Open
My favorite little spot to lay out the mat = โ˜€๏ธ๐ŸŒŠ๐Ÿงœ๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

Use an emoji to tell me yours. 

remember: it doesnโ€™t matter what you do as long as you move your body in some way each day. Total game changer. Promise. 

For me, walking the ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ๐Ÿถ and ๐Ÿง˜๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธare daily non-negotiables for my physical AND mental health. 

I do the @melissawoodhealth videos each day, and her upbeat, casual attitude, variety of low-impact strengthening workouts, and reminders to just keep coming back are key. 

#KeepComingBack #WeGotThis #TalkAboutMentalHealth #MWH #MoveYourBody
View
Open
Tell me itโ€™s summertime without telling me itโ€™s summertime. โ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿšฒ

#SummerSwimTeam #SweetRides #neighborhoodkids #MarylandLife #ThisIsSummer #tanterratarpons
View
Open
Did you get it? 

Have to ask because there just *may* be a secret surprise giveaway for some of you lucky ๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ†๐Ÿฆ†

Join now: https://take5.teachmama.com/

#TeachmamaTake5  #iykyk #Take5 #BestoftheWeb #familyfun #educatornews #linkinbio
View
Open
This book is SO different from any other I have read in the recent past, and itโ€™s something that is both refreshing and hopeful. 

My friend @techninjatodd wanted to put out a book that would be a source of hope, a reminder that we are not alone. A testament to the fact that every season of life matters. 

And so, In This Season: Words From the Heart was born, with help from the amazing @apron_education @allylee21 @writtentospeak @omar2764

โ„๏ธโ„๏ธโ„๏ธโ„๏ธ

Life is full of seasons.

Each of us has endured the cold of winter, the growth of spring, the light of summer, and the change of fall. Weโ€™ve climbed to the mountaintops and been deep in the valley.

In This Season: Words for the Heart takes the emotions we feel deep within and puts them into words. The pages of this book invite you to reflect and lean in as you continue through season after season.

๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ๐ŸŒธ

Check this book out, friends. It is worth your time, and it is the perfect book for busy educators to pick up, read a few pages over a quick cup of coffee before the day begins or as you kick up your feet at the end of the day. 

It feels like a quiet conversation with a close friend or dear colleague. Important topics are touched on which remind us that our feelings and thoughts and insecurities are often not as unusual as we may think. Rather, these ups and downs of life are a shared experience that couldโ€”and should!โ€”be shared more frequently and openly. The reminder that we are not alone could not come at a more pivotal time for all of us; in the past two years, we have been reminded that life is short but that seasons change. Letโ€™s make the most of what we have!

Thank you, Todd, LaNesha, Tanner, and Alice for starting this conversation. 

โ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธ

Grab it here: https://amzn.to/3O4jMqN

And do follow these great writers, educators, and thought leaders. 

๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ

#InThisSeason #linkinbio #newrelease #whatimreading #beachreads #teacherauthor #mustreadbooks
View
Open
What better time than NEXT WEEK to have the biggest and baddest sale of summer 
โ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿš๐ŸŒด๐ŸŒŠ?!

WOOO-hoooooo!

Stay tuned for more: 
zulily.gfpv.net/teachmama

#zulilyfinds #zulilypartner #zulilywowweek #teachmamadealsandsteals
View
Open
THANK YOU @reallygreatreading for the 2-part 6-hr workshop, Bringing the โ€˜Science of Readingโ€™ to Life in the Classroomโ€”

This program is amazing, life-changing, and exciting. I cannot wait to use these strategies and program with my students this summer!

Educators and familiesโ€”check out the resources on this site. Phenomenal. 

Makes me so happy. 

#TeachReading #RaiseAReader #ReallyGreatReading #OnlinePD
View
Open
We have a gun violence crisis in America that kills more than 110 people each day, and itโ€™s past time that the U.S. Senate does something about it.

Call your senators and demand they #DontLookAway from this crisis: 

Text BOLD to 644-33 and @everytown will connect you.

#UseYourVoice #NotOneMore
View
Open
Do you know what culturally responsive teaching looks like? 

Can you imagine what culturally responsive teaching should look like when it comes to our special learners? 

Join me on Monday, June 6 at 8pm ET on Facebook as I chat with educator and founder of @atypicalfamily , *Lisa Quinones* and Special Education Advocate and Lobbyist, *Lisa Lightner* of @lisa.lightner.ig A Day In Our Shoes.

We will be chatting about the impact of culture on students' learning and its implications on the special education classroom.

I cannot wait. It'll be short--but it'll be packed with info. Bring your questions and join us!

Find us here: https://www.facebook.com/teachmama

Thank you to @advancementcourses for bringing us together!

#linkinbio @teAChTeam #culturallyresponsiveteaching #specialeducationteacher

Copyright © 2022 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

  • 9
53 shares