According to a survey by Nestle, 47% of children have munched on a creepy crawly from the garden. Thankfully, my own five have never succumbed to the urge to chow down on a caterpillar, worm or heaven forbid, a slug! I would have officially freaked out if my kids had ever indulged in an insectoid treat. Just the thought of it makes me shudder.
Although almost half of the children of the parents surveyed would have happily gobbled up a bug or two, over two thirds would refuse to eat a plate full of greens. I know what I would prefer!
Despite some children's strange dietary habits, it's easy to get some wholegrain goodness and added vitamins and minerals in their diet by giving them a bowl of fortified cereals.
To celebrate how nutritious cereals can be and to show kids there are better things to eat than bugs, Nestle have joined forces with food artist Prudence Staite to create a giant caterpillar made from cereals.
Nestle have also challenged us to have a go at making our own cereal creepy crawly creation. So the children set to work to make their own cereal butterfly! I think that for every one piece of cereal stuck on to the butterfly, the kids ate at least two!
They cut the body from the cereal box and using PVA glue stuck the Cheerios all over it. While it dried they made the wings by splodging paint on one half of a piece of A3 paper then folding it in half to make a matching pattern on each wing. Once dried they cut it into wing shapes and attached the Cheerio covered body. The finishing touches included more Nestle Nesquik cereals, sequins, pompoms, pipe cleaner antennae, a smiley foam mouth and googly eyes. I loved the finished result. So colourful and bright - a really cheerful Cheerio Butterfly!
The butterfly had a photo shoot in its natural habitat, the garden! It looked so bright and cute among the bushes and plants. Who knew that cereals could inspire such creativity - while still tasting so delicious!