Carrots are a fantastic vegetable and we have three fun carrot crafts to do at home and all you need is some carrots! They’re readily available, relatively cheap and packed full of vitamins. They’re crunchy and tasty in salads raw and are delicious cooked in a variety of dishes. They’re grown right around the world, including commercial carrot farms right here in South East Queensland.
If the Easter bunny coming to town isn’t enough to get your Brisbane Kid curious about carrots, here are 3 fun carrot-based activities we’ve tested for you to try.
Growing carrot tops
The orange part of the carrot that we normally eat is actually the tap root of the carrot plant. This activity shows kids how plants use their roots to suck up water, and use the water and sunlight to grow their leaves.
sprouting carrot tops
How to:
Cut the end off a carrot, leaving about two and a half centimetres (one inch) of the orange root below the carrot top.
Place the carrot in a dish of water near a window that gets plenty of light, but not directly in the sun (in Brisbane windows facing south can be good)
Change the water daily to help the carrot grow.
After a few days, the carrot should start to sprout new leaves.
Tips: pick a carrot with a bit of greenery still on the end to help kick-start the process
Try this with more than 1 carrot – maybe put them in different locations? Compare and contrast how the carrots grow.
Painting with carrots
This is a fun (and potentially messy) activity to allow Brisbane Kids to use carrots in a very different way.
Cut some carrots in a few different ways (lengthwise, across, cut some notches out of the sides of a carrot etc) and prepare some paint.
Encourage your Brisbane Kids to explore the different patterns, textures and shapes they can create. Can they use the carrots as stamps? Rollers? brushes? Can they use the carrot almost like a pencil to draw through thicker paint?
Paint tips: Brisbane Kids recommends washable paint for this activity
If you’re trying this with younger Brisbane Kids or or children who are sensory seeking, you might like to try taste safe ‘paint’ such as yoghurt with colouring added, or a mix of flour, water and colouring.
Carrots can be rinsed off and composted after this activity.
Carrot shape plate
For this activity, cut some carrots into slices of different shapes and sizes.
Younger Brisbane kids might like to practice their shape names and perhaps arrange the prices of carrot into a face.
Older Brisbane kids might like to create a more elaborate scene, or practice their knife skills by cutting the carrots into different shapes themselves (or with the help of a trusted adult).
Snacking on the materials definitely allowed, even encouraged, during this activity.
You can include other fruits or vegetables in this activity or even add some hummus or a dip for some extra colour and flavour.
Off cuts can be used in cooking, given to a carrot-loving puppy if you have one, or composted (if they aren’t eaten up as you go).
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