Ants on a Log

A snack that contains veggies and some protein is a winning combination in my book and these Ants on a Log tick both boxes. Not only is the snack nutritious but it is fun and a great way to encourage kids to get involved with preparing food. 

Teaching Kids Through Preparing Snacks

Getting kids to help prepare healthy snacks, not only encourages them to be more adventurous eaters but can help young kids develop their fine motor skills, math skills, language skills and so much more.

When I was a teacher I used to love using food to bring mathematical concepts to life, to teach instructional writing and to create phonics activities etc.

When cooking with our kids at home, we often automatically teach these skills without even realising.

Below you can see Rory counting how many ants are on his log. He predicted he could fit five ants on the log. After counting only four, he said that he would need one more to make five. The teacher in me was delighted at hearing this ;).

Ants on a Log Variations

I believe the "traditional way" to make Ants on a Log is to fill celery stalks with peanut butter or cream cheese and add raisins as the ants.

However, we like to make various versions, depending on what we have available at the time.

Below I have detailed a range of ideas for the log, filling, and ants. Hopefully, there is a variation included that would suit even the fussiest of kids.

• Log Ideas
  • Carrots
  • Cucumber (slice in half, lengthways and scrape out seeds)
  • Banana (slice in half, lengthways)
  • Apple (cut into wedges)
  • Pear (cut into wedges)
  • Peach / Nectarine (cut into wedges)
• Filling Ideas
  • Any nut butter
  • Cream Cheese
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Hummus
  • Mashed avocado/guacamole
  • Greek Yoghurt
  • Other dips/spreads (beetroot dip, carrot hummus, bean dip, mint yogurt dip etc)
• Ant Ideas
  • Raisins
  • Other dried fruit (apricot, dates, figs, pineapple etc) cut into raisin-sized pieces.
  • Peas
  • Sweetcorn
  • Olives
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Grapes
  • Blueberries
  • Seeds
  • Nuts

I have also heard of some other variations and fun names for this snack

• Ants on Vacation - where there are no ants on the log!
• Ants on a Slide / Slip and Slide / Slippery Dip - a layer of honey on top of the peanut butter!

Other healthy snack recipes to make with your kids...

• Vegetable Savoury Muffins
• Banana Oat Cookies
• Oatcakes

Do your kids love Ants on a Log? What is their favourite combination? Do you make any other variations?  Please leave a comment below or tag me on your photos on Instagram or Facebook.