Grammy on the Go
By Karen Shadrach
Have you ever taken a trip to the market with your grandchild just for the adventure, and not to specifically buy anything? Try it; they will love the experience of your full attention and not being rushed for time.
There’s so much to see and learn in the grocery store! For the younger children, show them all the colors and shapes of produce. Let them not only pick out one of their favorites, but try something new. Shopping also provides the perfect opportunity to teach the grandkids how to choose that perfect ripe fruit or vegetable.
For an older grandchild, take a list of ingredients to make cookies or a special family dish you want to prepare together and let them find what is needed in the store on their own.
Some grocery stores have special carts for the littles to ride in, such as cars with steering wheels. Other stores have little mini carts that the kids can “shop” and take up and down the aisles. Each of these makes grocery shopping into a fun adventure.
The big box retailers, such as Sam’s Club and Cosco, provide a different shopping experience. The attractions here include huge cans and jars of food. Our kids love the enormous boxes of cereal and gigantic jars of pickles. They also love to watch and follow the many flatbed movers as they transfer big boxes around the store and then lift them high to stack on the shelves. They also beep when they back up! An extra bonus is the many free samples to taste, usually offered throughout these stores.
Cleveland’s West Side Market is quite a learning opportunity! This indoor/outdoor market has a separate enclosure for the produce area, where there are so many choices, and quite a few rare things you may not have heard of or have previously tasted. Find something different and try it together with your grandkids. The vendors are very friendly and freely give samples and recommendations and tips on how to cook/prepare their items.
Inside the market building, there are so many meats, pastas and bakeries! The bakeries have beautiful confections and goodies — a feast for the eyes and the stomach! It’s almost impossible not to purchase something sweet to eat.
Stroll around all the stalls and see all that they have to offer. Just walking from stall to stall and looking in the display cases is so much fun for the children. You can purchase something special for lunch and take it upstairs to enjoy while you enjoy a great view from the top of the entire market and watch all the crowds shopping below.
The kids can learn the names of different fruits and vegetables and can even try a few to see if they like them before buying. Pomegranate, Asian pear and starfruit are some of our rarer, but much-loved fruits we have found at the market. The grandkids love to remove the small pink seeds, called the arils, of the pomegranate, and will sprinkle them in their yogurt or over cereal.
Most children love bananas! At the market, you can easily purchase a few of each type and let the grandkids compare and taste the differences themselves. Don’t forget the small bananas! These baby bananas, also known as Lady Finger bananas, are naturally smaller and are a much sweeter and creamier version of the regular banana. Plantains are larger, with either a green or dark brown color, and are eaten cooked.
I seem to always find something new at the market each time we go. It is a fun and great excursion for all ages. Plan a trip soon to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells with your grandchild on a market shopping adventure!
Photos by Karen Shadrach
