Making Orange Juice

Juicing is one of my favorite activities to set up for children. When squeezing oranges, children ignite the use of so many senses: sight (the color of oranges can vary so much!), taste (sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter!), touch (the texture is so interesting for a young child!), smell (who doesn't love the smell of fresh oranges?), and hearing (think about the sounds an orange makes when being squeezed!).

You will need:

1. Many oranges (I like to cut them in half beforehand)
2. A container to hold the oranges 
3. A juicer (you can find many versions of the one in the above picture. Remember, the more simple, the better, as this will allow your child to be more involved in the process)
4. A small cup (please use real glass cups with your child. They are capable!)
5. A tray to keep the materials organized (your child is in a sensitive period for order, this organization helps to support it)

It is important to have the items placed in order that they will be used from left to right. This is a precursor for literacy, as children learn to work from left to right.

Remember my student Luke who enjoyed making the sun-dried tomato and feta cheese muffins? He also loves the juicing activity!

To begin with, I present Luke with the opportunity to make orange juice and invite him to get a glass from the shelf. Moving slowly to allow Luke the opportunity to analyze my movements, I take one orange, place it on top of the juicer and squeeze while turning, emphasizing my interest in the fact that juice is being made. I put the orange back into the bowl, pick up the juicer, and very slowly pour it into the glass. I then ask Luke to try the juice I have made and invite him to continue working. 

When showing your child this activity, squeezing the juice from the fruit is an important point of interest.

This activity supports the development of coordinated movements.

What is my favorite thing about this activity? Watching a child reap the benefits of their hard work as they enjoy a fresh glass of orange juice!

You can start supporting the development of your child's coordinated movements at a very young age. The kits that Monti Kids offers are my favorite, as they also come with education videos explaining how to introduce each toy to your child!