Toddler Activity: Squeezing Citrus

Squeezing citrus to make juice is one of our favorite Montessori activities because it’s super simple and makes a yummy snack to share. There’s no preparation and a very short list of materials needed. We buy oranges and grapefruits by the sackful from our local farm stand. Then we grab our juicer and TKTK. It’s the perfect way to keep the toddler entertained for a little while and then to enjoy the fruits of our labor (see what I did there?).

Materials:

Citrus - We like oranges or grapefruit best because we can drink the juice straight, but lemons can work if you add a little bit of sugar and water to make a lemonade to drink.

Squeezer - My young toddler likes this glass one (pictured below), which makes it so easy to collect the juice and then pour it into a glass. You could also use a handheld reamer or a citrus squeezer for smaller fruit like lemons. Just remember that it’s important to look for a juice squeezer that the child is able to operate independently.

Glass - For collecting and drinking the juice.

Towel - As with any activity involving liquids, I like to keep a couple of rags nearby, in the (inevitable) case that things get messy.

 Process:

• Cut the citrus in half (older toddlers can help with this process) and have the child juice the fruit. Let them take their time and taste the pulp and juice. This is a great sensory activity as well.

• Pour the juice from the juicer into a small glass to drink

• Talk about the sweet and sour taste of the juice. If you have older children, you could always add in an educational component talk about the different types of citrus, how citrus grows, the different parts of the fruit, etc.

Skills practiced:

• Fine motor skills

• Learning about the tastes of sour and sweet

• Food preparation

Have fun!