Strange Food Mixes: Why Not?

So here's a weird and fun programming idea for you; Strange Mixes. I thought, why not give kids a chance to experiment with different combinations of food items?

For my program I bought the following list, but you can mix and match with pretty much anything:

spreads (Nutella and cream cheese)
vegetables (celery)
fruit (grapes, pears, raisins, and a dried fruit mix)
crackers (Ritz and Saltines)
cheese (Swiss, Gouda, Provolone)
french fries
dipping condiments (ranch, barbecue sauce, ketchup, and mustard)

The idea behind the french fries and dipping condiments is if a kiddo couldn't find anything else they liked, they would at least like the french fries.

Also behind the scenes of this list was cheeses with fruit, different ways to make ants on a log, and cheeses and crackers.

Another aspect we wanted to do, but didn't have time for, was adding different spices to the spreads and condiments. My boss, Miss Karen, suggested adding cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice (experiment with each separately or all together) to the cream cheese and maybe some chili or curry powder to the ketchup.

If you are on a tight budget, buying a lot of food might be a bit expensive. But, if you have the means, this program was a lot of fun and encouraged kids to try new things and actually think about why something might taste good together.