Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? At Whole Foods Market in Springfield

Egg painting at Whole Foods Market in Springfield

Before the Bigger One heads off to full-day kindergarten, I am trying to pack in as much mother-son bonding as I can (whether he likes it or not!).  This bonding can take the form of baking or cooking together with his brother, playing Superheroes, or making a messy craft.  Sometimes, let's be honest, bonding occurs as we snuggle on the couch in front of the TV, enjoying the latest episode of Octonauts or Super Why!  I also like to bring the LOs to library programs or other fun area events when we can (with the Bigger One's afternoon preschool schedule, some morning activities start too late for us).

One program we discovered in October (thanks to SuperNOVAmommy) is the Half-Pint Club at Whole Foods Market Springfield.  For Halloween, they gave each child a brown paper bag to decorate and let them trick-or-treat around the store, collecting treats from each department.  In December, the kids built gingerbread houses using milk cartons, graham crackers, and candies.  I've checked out our local Wegman's because they often host cheap kids' cooking classes but there are very few in our area.

The Half-Pint Club events are recommended for 2- to 5-year-olds and are free.  They usually run 45 minutes to an hour and we dash back home to get the Bigger One ready for school when it's over.  

We missed a couple of the club events in January and February, but I signed us up for March's egg painting activity.  Since we had to run home for school right after, we decided to have lunch there beforehand, which the boys consider a "treat".  The Bigger One chose avocado sushi, a favorite since the very first time he could cram the little rolls into his mouth.  The Littler One agreed to a cold pasta salad which I wasn't sure he'd eat.  He actually loved it but I had to eat the spinach leaves.  We settled into the cafe area, enjoyed our lunch, and waited for the program to begin at 11:00 AM.

Lunch at Whole Foods

Miss Janelle and Miss Kate, as they call themselves, coordinate each Half-Pint Club meeting and are full of energy and enthusiasm.  Each child received a hard-boiled egg and five different shimmery tempera paint colors.  Instead of paintbrushes, the kids used Q-tips and small sponge pieces to decorate the eggs.  I think my LOs were most excited by the opportunity to wear the plastic gloves Miss Kate handed out.

The Bigger One used his favorite color blue.

The usually rambunctious Littler One has a gentle touch when painting.

Miss Janelle said his egg looked like a jewel. 

The finished products

After the eggs were painted, Miss Kate and Miss Janelle set them aside to dry and pulled out a story called
Where Do Chicks Come From?  Miss Janelle was careful to emphasize that the eggs they'd just painted were not fertilized and would not produce chicks!  Even the littlest ones were attentive as she read about the life cycle of a chick.

Miss Kate briefly discussed some alternatives for egg dying at home, including using blueberries or beets to make blue or red coloring.  I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website for making Naturally Dyed Eggs.  She also mentioned that Whole Foods carries a natural dye kit and I found another one here at Eco-Kids.  I think I may try to team up with a certain family member who is my eco-mentor and see if we can dye eggs naturally together using fruits and veggies.

Juicy jellybeans and cute springtime cookies

Miss Janelle and Miss Kate then passed out little cups of jellybeans and egg and chick cookies.  The Littler One dropped his twice  but Miss Kate was kind enough to give him extra and then cover his cup with some foil.  We headed home with our treasures, including the still-wet painted eggs safely nestled in coffee cups.  

We're excited to go back for April's Half-Pint Club, which will celebrate Earth Day. Miss Janelle said they'll make a stand-up tree and taste-test different foods that grow on trees.  If you're interested, check out  Whole Foods Market Springfield's calendar in late March/early April for the event details.  Comment below if you're going so we can say "hi"!  Or, if you go to a fun, free, food-related event with your LOs, share it!

As always, thanks for reading and "like" my page on Facebook for more adventures in food and eating!