Today I ate a rainbow

Eating a rainbow of foods is not a new thing for us; however, charting the rainbow we eat is.

Today I ate a Rainbow! is a great resource for parents to ensure their children eat their recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I was thrilled when they sent me their kit for review.  Bear and J-jo are extremely picky eaters and although they enjoy fruit, it was always challenging to get them to eat vegetables without hiding them.

The kit arrived in the mail and I eagerly opened it to discover wonderful bright magnet shapes, a well laminated, sturdy rainbow chart, a rainbow shopping list, and a cute little story called The Rainbow Bunch.

I had been advised to make sure to have a well-stocked fridge before putting the chart on our fridge and I am so glad I took that advice.  As soon as the children saw all the colorful things, they wanted to put them up on the magnetic wall.

And then they wanted to eat so they could put their shapes up on the chart!

By the end of the day, the kids and I had eaten something from each color.  The kids were willing to try bites of foods they normally would not have tried, just to get to put a magnet on the chart.  I put off writing the review because I thought for sure it was just the newness of the product.  I'm pleased to say that a month later, the kids are still clamoring to get those magnets all up by the end of the day.  If we are missing a color of fruit or vegetable in the fridge, Bear reminds me to put it on the list.  The chart serves as a great check list to make sure the entire family is getting variety.  I love that it is something the whole family can participate in.

Has it cured my kids of being picky? No.  But it has encouraged them to be more adventurous.  I celebrate their willingness to try a new food by letting them stick the corresponding magnet on the chart.  

Today I ate a Rainbow!'s website contains a wealth of information (such as it can take up to ten tries of a new food before a child accepts it and enjoys it) and I love all their interesting facts about fruits and vegetables. (The eggplant is a member of the potato family!)   There's even a cute rainbow song and a chart to download to keep track of how many times your child has tried a new food.  Check out their tips for picky eaters.

I highly recommend checking out Today I ate a Rainbow! You can purchase the kit from their website.