If your children are anything like mine were, you’ve been forced to utter these words at meal times from time to time:
“Stop playing with your food!”
But with these Obvious Octopus Hotdogs from my ABC Snacks Series on your little one’s plate, you’ll find yourself playing right along.
And like all our ABC Snacks, this quick and easy lunch also doubles as an engaging hands-on (and educational!) activity that you can share with your preschooler.
Learning about the letter O has never been this much fun. And if you ask our young helper, he’ll tell you that it’s never tasted so good either!
Obvious Octopus Hotdog
Here’s what you’ll need to make one obvious octopus:
- 1 hotdog
- Pickle relish, ketchup, and mustard to garnish
- Toothpicks
Directions:
- Boil a hotdog until heated through and remove from water.
- Spread a layer of relish on a plate. Add ribbons of ketchup and mustard as desired.
- Slice hotdog lengthwise about two-thirds of the way up. The top will be your octopus head.
- Slice each of the halved sections in half, and then in half again to form eight appendages—six arms and two legs. (Did you know that’s what an octopus has?)
- Arrange the octopus on the plate over the relish, with arms and legs spread beneath it.
- Apply a mustard face to the octopus with a toothpick.
- Try to eat your octopus without playing. I dare you.
Variation:
- Serve your hotdog octopus on a bed of macaroni and cheese or other noodle dish.
Adapted from Grammyjan’s Blog
Teaching Tips
- While you’re arranging your octopus on your plate, say /ŏ/–/ŏ/–obvious octopus together.
- Garnish your octopus plate with a ribbon of mustard or ketchup in the shape of an O.
- Read The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, a humorous tale about a pigeon, a hotdog, and the duck that wants to share the hotdog.
- Download ABC Snacks: Tips for Working on Pre-Reading Skills for more teaching tips.
Want More Snacks that Start with O?
Find snacks for letter O and more with the ABC Snacks Cookbooks series that includes more than 40 snack recipes for your preschoolers!
Photo credit: @_ourlittlehomeschool_
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