March 12th is National Popcorn Lover’s Day, and while we don’t need an excuse to eat popcorn around here, my kids and I are doing our research to find the flavors to call our favs!
I chose to stop by our local popcorn store and stock up because while the idea of making our own popcorn sounds amazing, I remembered that I have 3 toddlers! If that’s something you’re into, I have linked some pretty tasty looking recipes at the bottom to make with your kiddos!
For the taste test we tried Strawberry Cheesecake, Banana Pudding, Almond Joy, Buffalo Wing, Lemon Pepper Ranch, and Macaroni and Cheese. I tried to get a flavor variety with the combination of sweet, salty, and spicy. I loved the Strawberry Cheesecake, my twins liked Macaroni and Cheese (which was a close 2nd for me) and Almound Joy. My youngest, well, she ate a little bit of everything. Obligatory mom warning: According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) popcorn is not recommended for children younger that 12 months.
Not only can you eat popcorn to celebrate, but there are other things you can do to pay homage to this tasty snack.
Popcorn Family Fun:
- Popcorn Movie Night: Get a bowl (or let kids decorate their own popcorn bag) of popcorn, start a movie, and snuggle up as a family! A good friend of mine sets up her house like a theather and even made a concession stand that the kids had to purchase items with tickets. Her kids worked their toy register, determined what they could buy with what they had, and counted change. She gave her children an experience that they still talk about.
- Popcorn Games:
- Popcorn Race: Have popcorn races along a smooth surface where contestants use a straw to blow their piece of popcorn across the finish line.
- Popcorn Pickup: Use tongs or fine motor Learning Tweezers to pick up popcorn and put it in the bowl as fast as you can.
- Popcorn Toss: One player tosses popcorn to the other who is trying to catch as many pieces in their cup as possible.
- Popcorn Drop: Stand on a chair and drop pieces of popcorn into a cup on the ground. Try to get as many pieces as possible into the cup. The player with the most pieces in the cup wins.
- Popcorn Crafts: Find a complete list of popcorn activities and crafts here.
- Educational Popcorn: (Because the teacher in me just couldn’t help it.)
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- Graphing: Have the kids ask family members which is there favorite flavor of popcorn. They can interview and then chart the results. Which flavor is the most popular, least popular. Order them from least to greatest, greatest to least.
- Estimation/Counting: Guess and check how many pieces are in your bowl. Is that number odd or even? Who has the most popcorn, the least? Ask those last two questions at your own risk…I’ll steer clear to avoid a meltdown over here.
- Sorting: If you tried several different flavors, mix them together and let the kids sort them by color/flavor.
- Science-Experiment: Dancing Popcorn only requires 3 ingredients, but is sure to impress even the older kids.
- Popcorn Recipes: Enjoy these favorite popcorn recipes!
Bunny Bait Popcorn great for Easter or spring!
Leprechaun Popcorn for St. Patrick’s day!
Happy Popcorn Lover’s Day! Your family will love all the popcorn fun and your kids will fall in love with this yummy snack.
