OBJECTIVE

Students will be able to cook a nutritious snack with adult help

Students will be able to taste sunflower seeds and sunflower seed butter

Students will be able to chop vegetables or fruit safely

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What seeds do we eat?

What is the sunflowers lifecycle?

Why do plants have seeds?

Why do we eat seeds?

MATERIALS

• Food Processor
• Cups/plates (1 per student)
• Spoon for serving
• Roasted, unsalted shelled sunflower seeds
• Olive oil
• Honey
• Salt
• Apple for students to chop (pre cut ¼ for young or inexperienced chef so that they have a flat side)
• Cutting boards 1 per partnership
• Kids knives
• 1 cup measurement
• 1 tbsp measurement
• Bowl to collect chopped veggies
• Sunflower coloring sheet for students who finish chopping early or extra time
• Sunbutter Recipes for students to take home

PROCEDURE

Introduction:

Gather children and review what they have learned about sunflowers. Review saving seeds,  parts of a sunflower, sunflower lifecycle. Recall tasting a sunflower seed while saving the seeds or do so now. It is best to taste a seed that comes from the shell so students make that connection. Ask students why we eat seeds.

Activity

Tell the students that they are going to do some cooking and make sunflower seed butter. Have students who have had sun butter before describe it to their classmates. (smooth and slightly sweet spread like peanut butter).

Share the sun butter recipe by writing it on the board and read the ingredients together. 

Have students help add all the ingredients to the food processor. Wait to blend until students are working on chopping. Ask students what they think the food processor will do.

Tell students that they will also be cutting up apples to have with the sunbutter. 

Review at this time how to cut safely. Demonstrate to the whole group by cutting up an apple or slice as an example; noting to cut with the flat side down and with the cutting board right in front of them. Tell the students they will be working with a partner and that they will need to take turns with the cutting board and knife. 

Pair students in partners and have them wash hands and then go to tables to begin cutting apple slices. Distribute materials and ¼ apple per student. While students work, blend the sunbutter. 

Put a taste of sunflower butter on a cup or plate and have students try it with apples.

Wrap Up/Assessment: 

While students enjoy or afterwards, review the steps from seed>sprout>sunflower>seed>sunflower seed on a white board with a picture for each step. Remind students that seeds have energy for the sunflower to start to grow and give us energy when we eat them.