the fun part of picnics

The Fun Part of Picnics www.fridayschildmontessori.com

The Food

For a proper picnic, you don’t take anything that needs to be

cooked.

If you want to put sausages in that you’re going to cook while

you’re eating al fresco, this isn’t a picnic.

It’s a barbecue, which is another great Aussie tradition but not what we’re talking about here.

Food safety is important, so if you do take cold (cooked!)

chicken nibbles on your picnic, then you will need to keep this

deep in the esky along with an ice pack or two.

The same applies to anything involving meat, eggs and dairy

products (vegans, you’re allowed to feel a bit smug here!).

Avoid anything sloppy or runny that needs utensils to eat it –

finger food is the order of the day.

Sandwiches are always winners, from the humble Vegemite

sammie through to elaborate concoctions involving cold

chicken, camembert, cranberry jelly, walnuts and mayonnaise.

Fruit and raw vegetables, with or without dip, are great eaten

outdoors, as are nuts.

If you want a picnic food that’s more reminiscent of something the Famous Five would do, then

try hard-boiled eggs.

For sweet stuff, cupcakes, scones and muffins are easier to manage than larger items that need to be

cut up.

You often need to provide less food for a picnic meal than you do when you’re having an ordinary

meal at home if you have younger children.

This is because outdoor locations are a bit of a novelty, and children

always seem to be more enthusiastic about running

around and exploring than eating.

If you have packed too much by mistake, then don’t throw it away,

even if there’s a handy rubbish bin nearby.

The children will probably announce that they’re hungry on the way home, and you can just

produce the food again.

In this writer’s experience, attempts to bring a thermos flask full of hot coffee or tea have never really worked. What does work is

cold drinks.

To get a really icy drink, freeze a bottle of water or whatever you

fancy in a plastic bottle overnight (remember that water expands as it freezes, so don’t fill the bottle

right up).

Put this in the esky. It will gradually melt (and help keep

your food cool), and by the time you’re ready to drink it, it will be deliciously icy cold water rather

than solid ice.

Two main safety hazards to beware of with picnics are

sunburn and insects.

T+aking plenty of sunscreen and sitting in the shade takes care of

the first, and keeping food in containers that can be sealed easily Tupperware style helps

deter the second.

However, it wouldn’t be a real Gold Coast picnic without ants

joining in, so turn them into part of the fun – maybe you can put out

a crust or a spoonful of jam for them to share (and save some

other crusts to give to the local birds).

And if you’ve planned your picnic but the weather turns vile when

you didn’t expect it to?

Don’t give up – just have an indoor picnic on the floor of the

dining room (don’t forget to invite teddy bears).

Have fun!

www.fridayschildmontessori.com