Mad Scientist Mystery Game

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{Today I'm pleased to bring you a very fun and creative guest post from Didi of Duck Duck Octopus. It's a game and it's a snack. Plus it's fabulous! If you like this post, be sure to visit Didi's blog and take a look around. Thank you, Didi!}

Carving food into intricate shapes and characters is fun, but time consuming. I am a big advocate for making meal time engaging, but like most parents, I don't always have the time to devote to preparing extravagant gustatory creations. I make robot sandwiches and ocean-inspired lunches when I can, but on days where time is short, having a few quick recipes in my back pocket helps.
 
The Mad Scientist Mystery Game is one of my favorite quick snack recipes. This recipe engages the senses, and is guaranteed to make snack-time a fun food adventure.
The only special accessories you need are plastic disposable pipettes, and a graduated vessel to hold a beverage. The pipettes are available online, and may be purchased in some places for a mere 10 cents a piece. I usually have a ton of these squirters on hand because they are great for a myriad of activities. If you don't already have them in your craft supply closet, get a bunch! The graduated vessel isn't required, but it does look impressive next to the snack. A small plastic flask or graduated cylinder does nicely to add a "mad scientist" feel to the set-up.
 
I know I don't need to tell you this, but I'll put it in just in case. Please make sure the plastic pipettes and graduated vessel are new, and fresh out of the packaging. These items are being used for food preparation, so you want to be sure they are clean. Residues from other activities are not only unappetizing, they may be dangerous to ingest, so only use brand new pipettes and graduated vessels, please and thank you.
 
Now that you have all of your lovely new equipment ready to go, here is what you do:
 
Instructions:

1. Get several different flavors of the squeezable fruit or vegetable pouches that are available in the organic section of the supermarket. The pouches are meant to be a portable snack for school lunches, and are perfect for this activity. Flavored yogurts also work well. Don't be afraid to experiment with different mixtures. Creating unique flavor profiles is part of the fun!
2. Dispense pureed fruits, vegetables, or yogurt into small cups.
3. Number the cups, and create a master key for the ingredients.
4. Number the pipettes.
5. Use the pipettes to suck up the purees or yogurt. Make sure the number on the pipette matches the number on the cup.
6. Arrange the pipettes on a plate.
7. Pour a beverage into the graduated vessel, and set beside the pipette snack tray. Get creative with the beverage. Use a brightly colored drink, and add plain seltzer water to make some mad scientist bubbles. To really mix things up, use a vegetable-based beverage like V-8 juice. Your child will not expect to drink vegetables!

 
Once you have the snack put together, it is time to start the mystery game. Present the snack to your kids, and give them a piece of paper and pencil. Have them eat the contents of each pipette one at a time, and let them try to guess what is inside. The paper and pencil will help them keep track of their guesses. Your little foodies will have a blast, and so will their taste buds, as they try to decipher the mystery snack.
 
What are your favorite creative, quick and easy recipes?
 
Didi is a fun mom who likes to make mud pies, stomp in puddles, and fingerpaint. She is also the founder of duckduckoctopus.com, a blog about play-based learning, outdoor adventures, and mindful-parenting.

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