Science allows for curiosity, play and hands-on experiments. It helps kids to become fascinated with veg – how it looks, reacts, smells, cooks and more. Finding fun and simple experiments to allow kids to play with their veg makes them curious about it and helps them approach it in a positive way.

Have fun with the seeds from your butternut squash by dropping one into a glass of fizzy water, and watch it rise up and sink down again and again until the bubbles run out – the carbon dioxide bubbles bring the seed up to the top!

Children who help to prep and cook veg are more likely to eat it. If you feel your child is ready to help and could benefit from it, keep the stress and mess to a minimum by choosing one simple task for them to do as part of the prep, meaning they can be involved and feel like the recipe is in part ‘theirs’, but also not make the process too much longer or more complicated.

For a younger child, why not give them the job of scooping the seeds and stringy bits out of a halved, cooked squash. If you aren’t keeping the squash in halves to stuff but are just using the flesh in something else, let them scoop all of that out with a spoon into a bowl, too!

For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to teach them how to make a simple soup by mixing frozen squash cubes and water or stock or coconut milk (and perhaps a little cumin or curry powder?) in a pan and stirring until cooked, piping hot and soft. You can then help them safely blend it and see if, when they taste it, they think it needs any other flavours added.

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Use our Kitchen Ninja chart and videos to find simple ways for kids to help in the kitchen.