| | | |

Veggie Boot Camp – A Fun Way to Get Your Children To Eat Their Vegetables

Veggie Boot Camp 2010, Broccoli is Evil

 

I created Veggie Boot Camp because my Little Guy really hates Vegetables. We used this camp last summer and it seemed to work pretty well excluding a couple of not so favorites.
My oldest son would eat anything by the age of five.  At five he was ordering salad and squid.  That boy (now a man) will eat anything that sits still long enough.

Little Guy however would live on chicken nuggets and tortilla chips if he were given that option.
Veggie Boot Camp last summer added several fruits and a few vegetables.  This year I hope to add several more vegetables to his eating repertoire and it just so happens the method does so without many tears. The only time he really got upset was the introduction to broccoli and tomatoes.  He refused the broccoli on smell and the tomatoes were a disaster.  Apparently both of these vegetables are evil and will be the fall of mankind, as we know it.

How it Works:

Veggie Boot Camp lasts two weeks in the early part of summer break.

At the end of camp a special trip, gift or play.date is given when 100 cards are completed.

To acquire the cards my son has to eat a new vegetable, fruit or bean.  He can eat each new one three times to count for a card.

Example:  Three small portions of green beans = Three reward cards.

I keep the cards on a magnetic bulletin board in the kitchen. The cards are simply blank index cards. And as for the holders, you could just use empty envelopes attached to a bulletin board with pins or magnets. The refrigerators and magnets would work well for this project if you so desire.

I use nifty metal mesh baskets because I am mildy obsessive with order and perfection.

I make my meal plan for two weeks and make sure to plan the Boot Camp fruits, vegetables and beans in each meal.  I serve these as clean as possible.  There is so sense in Little Guy learning to eat a vegetable that is infused with so much bacon and butter that his taste buds have no idea what he is eating.  Plus bacon and butter are only needed in very small increments.  They are really not that healthy.

The new fruit, vegetable or bean is served in a small fruit bowl. The portion is usually three bites the first time and then four or five on the next two tries.

When the bowl is empty, Little Guy writes the name of the food item on a blank card and inserts the card into the appropriate metal basket.  So far we have earned seven cards!

When Little Guy reaches 100 cards he is awarded with one special trip, toy or play date.

My reward is a little boy who is happily learning to eat healthy!

If you have a picky eater in the house, give Veggie Boot Camp a try.

Items I use for Veggie Boot Camp:


Board Dudes 11.25″x11.25″ Rubberized Corner Dry Erase Board – Bought mine from Target!

Magnetic Memo Center, Brushed Stainless Steel: Also Board Dudes and from Target!

Fiesta Fruit Bowls

Happy Camping,

Momma

Similar Posts

8 Comments

  1. Wow, that’s awesome. I’m glad my little one isn’t fussy anymore, but this is full of tips if things change. Thanks for visiting GRACE and Me. I am now a new follower via GFC.

    Amy

  2. What a great idea and one I will use when my older grandchildren visit. I can seldom get them to eat different veggies, they wans corn and green beans with every meal.
    New follower from weekend blog hop.

  3. This is a great idea! Keeping this in mind in case things get out of hand. For now we have relative success with at least some vegetables, but it’s early yet! Great blog – happy to discover you.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *