Create a Healthy Dental Craft and Snack

This healthy dental craft and snack let's your kids create their own healthy mouth, that is edible too!

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 30 minutes to one hour

Here's How:

1. Select a large, Red Delicious apple of your choice. Using a red apple will help to create pretty lips for your mouth, but if a red apple is not available, any color will do. Depending on the number of people creating their healthy snack, one apple generally will yield enough segments for four people. Give each person one disposable plate or napkin.
2. With the assistance of an adult, use the apple corer, and remove the apple's core. Using a sharp knife, slice the apple in half. Then continue to slice the apple into segments that are approximately a 1/2 inch wide.
3. Once you have the apple divided into segments, give each person that is creating their own mouth two segments of apple.
4. Check with all participants to see if anyone has a peanut allergy or treenut allergy, then select the appropriate spread for the apple -- which can be either peanut butter, or a peanut butter alternative. If an alternative is not available, apricot jam or marmalade will work just fine as well. Using the small serving cups, give each person 1 Tbsp. of spread.
5. Using the butter knife or Popsicle stick, evenly spread the peanut butter, or the alternative, on one side of each apple segment. Place each segment next to each other, with he spread side up.
6. Each person should then be given five to six mini white marshmallows each. Using one apple segment, place the marshmallows along the edge of the apple, where the skin and flesh meet. The marshmallows should appear to curve with the shape of the segment.
7. Once all of the marshmallows have been placed on the spread, take your other apple segment, and carefully place it on top of the marshmallows. Make sure you try to align the apple as evenly as possible. Then, press down on the fleshy part of the apple that is opposite of the skin.
8. Voila! You have now created a healthy dental craft and snack of your own.

Tips:

1. As you are creating your healthy dental craft and snack, discuss with the children how making healthy food choices, that are low in sugar, helps to prevent cavities and gum disease.
2. Ask the children questions regarding dental hygiene as you create the craft. "How often should you brush and floss your teeth?" and "Is soda good or bad for your teeth?"
3. Talk about how cavities are formed. As they create their craft and snack, explain to them how the tooth decay process works.
4. While they place each marshmallow "tooth" on the apple segment, ask the children if they would like to have white teeth, like their new apple mouth. Discuss how regular brushing and flossing will help them achieve a white and bright smile, similar to their newly created mouth.

What You Need:

• One large Red Delicious Apple per every four people
• One disposable plate or napkin per person
• One bag of mini white marshmallows
• One jar of smooth peanut butter
• People with nut allergies may use a nut-free alternative to peanut butter
• One small serving cup per person
• One apple corer
• One sharp knife
• one butter knife or Popsicle stick per person
• Adult supervision

By Shawn Watson, About.com Guide