Usually, while eating, adults make comments to children, saying, don’t fool around, don’t play with food. But such a game can be useful if it is developmental and educational in nature. We'll tell you what interesting activities with food you can organize for children.
On the one hand, adults' strict approach to food is justified: food is not intended for pampering. It is needed for the body to function properly. On the other hand, children learn about the world, including through play. And play is the main form of their existence. This is not about playing with food on a plate right at the table. There are many other interesting activities with products that we want to introduce you to.
Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is a healthy product high in protein and calcium.
But manufacturers use various tricks to reduce the cost of its production or improve its appearance. In the composition of a quality product you will find only milk, sourdough and, possibly, calcium chloride acting as a thickener (harmless food additive E509). A product with added vegetable fat is called a curd product, which must be indicated on the label.
However, the manufacturer does not always indicate the complete composition. For example, at the beginning of 2022, Rospotrebnadzor examined 73 samples of cottage cheese and found vegetable fats in six of the results of laboratory studies of dairy products. The Roskachestvo laboratory detected violations in 16 Tvorog samples out of 44.
Therefore, if you want to eat high-quality cottage cheese, you will either have to regularly read reports from Rospotrebnadzor and independent quality assessment organizations, or make the product yourself. The second option, by the way, is not at all difficult.
How to make homemade cottage cheese from milk or kefir. 6 easy ways →
Top business ideas for mini-productions at home
Food
The trend of creating various food products at home began long before the pandemic. Economic sanctions, a government program to support small and medium-sized agricultural businesses, and demand for healthy food - everything contributes to the rapid development of such business ideas. Many of them are easy to implement in your own kitchen, in the basement of a private house. Such productions at the initial stage take up relatively little space and pay off well.
Home food production can often be defined by the term “craft” (that is, made by hand, in an artisanal way). Craft is valued for the bright individual features of the product, for the effect of something homey, traditional, associated with childhood, with the “warm and lamp” world before the industrial boom. Buyers believe that goods produced by hand in small batches are of better quality and taste than those that came off the production line. And for a gift, choosing not a “stamped” product, but a craft product in a nice package (most likely also craft), seems like something taken for granted today.
Cheese making
Market request number one. Homemade cheeses are one of the most popular products on the market; this niche is not even 40% filled. The hard varieties sell best. The equipment is compact; such production (if you limit yourself to small batches) can be done even in a city apartment. To prepare up to 100 kg of cheese, a room of 40 square meters is enough. meters. Demand is high, there is no seasonality, there are enough sales points. It is important to follow technology and take into account that cheese is a product with a limited shelf life and sale.
Dried fruits, dried mushrooms
These are products for which there is always demand. Russians willingly buy ready-made sets of dried fruits or dry milk mushrooms and boletus mushrooms. This production does not require large spaces. The costs of starting such a business are low; you can start from scratch, with minimal investment: you can literally place a drying machine in your own kitchen. You can vary the range in accordance with changes in demand. It must be taken into account that the quality of the finished product depends on the quality of the raw materials. For such a business idea, there is seasonality for production, but sales can be carried out all year round.
Detox juices
A new trend for home production. Crafted natural detox juices are still outperforming similar products from mass producers. Such drinks are used not only for weight loss, but also in all healthy lifestyle programs; they are bought for children and teenagers. The demand is great, this production is almost not affected by seasonality, you can even install the equipment at home, but this business idea will require the highest quality raw materials. It is also important that there is a low level of competition in this market segment in your locality.
Gluten free bread
Russians are seriously passionate about a healthy lifestyle; this trend has provoked the popularity of gluten-free bread. Over the past year, demand for it has increased by 7-12% in different regions. Starting a business for baking gluten-free bread will cost from 16 to 30 thousand rubles, depending on the equipment chosen. The total costs of such a mini-production are small, and bread can be sold through local grocery stores in the “near-home” format, and through websites of healthy lifestyle products, and at farmers’ markets.
Homemade marshmallows and bouquets of them
The demand for healthy and homemade sweets is constantly growing. People willingly buy handmade marshmallows not only as a gift, but also for their everyday table. Options for implementing such business ideas are flourishing on Instagram, but, according to experts, the market is still far from saturation. Production is simple, equipment costs start from almost nothing and increase depending on the complexity and uniqueness of the recipe. Sales are going equally well online and in regular shops and sweet shops.
Jelly Bean
Initially, this familiar delicacy was made by hand, in home production. Returning to the roots has borne fruit, and now chewing candies made from natural sapodilla juice, agave syrup and extracts of mint, wild berries, and cinnamon are extremely popular. Production can easily fit in a garage or kitchen, and the success of a business idea depends on the originality of packaging and competent promotion.
Dumplings and dumplings
From multi-colored dough made from vegetable juice or cuttlefish ink, from different varieties of meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruits, berries, cottage cheese, national, cooked to order - variants of this business idea are multiplying before our eyes and are being successfully implemented on the Internet and in stores craft products. The production is clear, the ingredients are easy to purchase. The only difficulty: refrigeration equipment for freezing semi-finished products is quite expensive. However, even despite this, the business quickly pays for itself, and refrigeration units can also be leased, which will reduce the one-time burden on the entrepreneur’s wallet.
Craft beer
This area is showing rapid and stable growth. The popularity of craft beer is growing every year. Small breweries are easy to place at home, in the garage or basement of your own home. This can be a great start to a successful small business. If necessary, production can be expanded using rented space. As in any grocery business, it is important to find suppliers of quality raw materials in advance and decide on distribution channels.
Marmalade toys
A new-fangled replacement for Kinder surprises are small craft toys with a marmalade base. Options for business ideas in this area are represented by dozens of successful franchises that supply entrepreneurs with equipment and connect them with suppliers of raw materials. The growing popularity no longer seems like a random whim of the market; betting on this production, which you can open at home, can be very successful.
Crafts
People locked in their homes during the lockdown have re-evaluated the importance of their home decor. Now household items, furniture and design are of great importance: Russians are looking for individual, special things made in small factories. Small businesses with their ideas in this industry have room to expand.
Restoration work on wood
Buyers are happy to look for old chairs, armchairs and tables at flea markets, at grandfather’s dachas, in online and offline consignment stores. As a rule, antique and vintage items require restoration. Thanks to the popularity of the trend for furniture with history, small carpentry workshops located in garages or in private homes are benefiting greatly. An entrepreneur in this segment requires skill and desire to work with wood. It is important to remember that the outcome of restoration work depends on the quality of carpentry equipment, and its cost increases. Despite this, the business idea is profitable: the restoration of one large piece of furniture (wardrobe, chest of drawers, chest) is estimated at several tens of thousands of rubles.
Wooden utensils
Fashion for it returned at the beginning of the last decade. Started as a souvenir trend, the industry is gradually conquering the market. This business idea allows those entrepreneurs who dream of creating and creating from wood to show their imagination. The production of wooden utensils is perfectly located at home, the costs are not so high, and profits depend on the competent implementation of the business idea.
National toys and handmade toys
Millennials have proven to be very thoughtful, caring parents. The quality and originality of the fun they buy for their child are important to them. In recent years, Russian manufacturers have confidently taken prizes at international competitions for children's games and toys. Such business ideas are well packaged into franchises, but if an entrepreneur wants to open his own business, then the widest scope for creativity opens up before him. Inspiration can be drawn from toys from the era when grandma played with dolls, or even earlier (the handmade toy tradition runs the gamut from rag dolls to wooden rocking horses). The costs of such production depend on the chosen toy manufacturing technology.
Furniture for animals
Another global and Russian trend is a high level of care for pets. A variety of scratching posts, beds, and houses can easily be made at home; the cost of such production often does not exceed 50-100 thousand rubles, and finished goods can be sold both online and offline. However, you need to remember that there is high competition in this market segment.
Jewelry and souvenirs made of clay
This low-cost mini-production can easily be located even in a city apartment. We are not just talking about pendants and keychains; small souvenirs and interior items (ceramic figurines, candle stands, whistles, fruit dishes and deliberately irregularly shaped key holders) are also popular. In this area of handicraft, competition remains high, in order to succeed, it is necessary to offer customers an unusual idea.
Sewing
This is a broad area that includes work of varying complexity and volume, from the production of a large batch of fabric protective masks to the creation of clothing according to individual sketches. Production at the initial stage does not require a large premises, can be easily located at home and does not require significant investments. However, we must remember that the complexity of the task and the final quality of the product are directly related to the quality of raw materials and the manufacturability of the equipment.
Anti-stress pillows
An extremely fashionable niche, production is simple and low-cost, and demand is high. The disadvantages include the high level of competition. Sales and promotion are confidently shifting to the Internet, but resources remain for offline sales: regional festivals and fairs.
Aprons and capes for home hairdressing salons
The niche arose several years ago and was well established during the lockdown, when hairdressers and barbers switched to home service for clients, and many people began to cut their loved ones’ hair themselves. An easy-to-produce, low-cost business idea is well promoted on the Internet. You need to understand that you cannot sell many aprons to the same people; it is better to find a channel for wide sales in advance (for example, through an online dropshipping store that sends its goods throughout the country).
Printing
T-shirts with funny designs and slogans, canvas bags with logos, corporate T-shirts, scarves, baseball caps - clothing and other things with prints are still in demand by both private buyers and businesses. Printers for high-quality printing on textiles are relatively inexpensive; it is enough to allocate a corner in your house or garage for them. It’s more difficult with design and methods of promotion: there is serious competition in this area, and a lot depends on the quality of equipment and fabrics. The demands of the modern consumer are quite high; the success of such a mini-production largely depends on a competent analysis of the local market and the elaboration of one’s business idea.
Production of frameless furniture
Today, pear chairs and poufs are happily purchased for children's rooms, living rooms, shopping centers, cafes and other public spaces. The entrepreneur’s costs for such a mini-production at the initial stage amount to up to 300,000 rubles. You can locate the workshop in a garage or basement. The quality of products will depend on the purchased raw materials and adherence to technology.
Conclusion
Not all options for business ideas and even industries for small and medium-sized businesses, organized as a mini-production in your own garage or right at home, are listed here. Remember that the state is interested in socially significant mini-productions, and you can often count on financial support. Subsidies for the production of certain goods (the list can be found on the websites of local municipal authorities) are part of the program to support small and medium-sized businesses in Russia.
The main advantage of mini-productions is that they can be either an excellent start in business, the first thing opened from scratch, or a source of constant income for years. You can open a mini-production, saving on rent, directly in your home or garage; it rarely requires significant funds for equipment and raw materials, and most importantly, it can be easily modernized and repurposed under the influence of new socio-economic phenomena and market trends.
Cheese
The situation with cheese is similar to cottage cheese. The composition of a quality product is concise and understandable.
But if the manufacturer decides to cheat, you may miss the easily digestible protein, phosphorus and calcium in the cheese, but find starch and vegetable fats there. According to Roskontrol, 60%60% of the cheeses in Russian stores are counterfeit. The cheeses it examined are counterfeit.
The composition of homemade cheese is under your control. True, you are unlikely to be able to prepare brie or gorgonzola at home. But the available options are enough to bring variety to the table.
How to make homemade cheese →
Labyrinth
Photo: pinterest.com/teachpreschool: UGC
This game will really appeal to the youngest children. To create it you need simple materials at hand - a cardboard box, plastic cocktail straws, glue and scissors. Follow the instructions:
- Cut the tubes into several pieces of different lengths.
- Take a small cardboard box (a shoebox lid will do). Draw the outline of the labyrinth inside with a pencil.
- Glue the tubes along the lines.
- Give your child a ball or bead and ask him to go through the maze, tilting the playing field in the right direction.
A child can play in the maze alone or with friends in turns. To make it more fun, offer the kids a competition to see who can complete the maze the fastest. The role of the judge is yours.
Yogurt
The topic of adulteration of dairy products seems to have already been exhausted. But homemade yogurt is worth making not only because of its clear composition. Above all, this is a real creative process. With experience, you can achieve the desired thickness and consistency, and also experiment with additives.
Store-bought yogurts usually contain quite a lot of sugar, as well as starch, thickeners, preservatives, and dyes. These are harmless additives, but you can do without them.
Make homemade yogurt low-fat, sweet, salty, add cereal, berries, and cheese to it. Even if you end up going back to store-bought plastic jars, it’s worth a try.
How to make homemade yogurt →
Why do you need filler?
Cut paper “noodles” that are placed inside gift boxes are called paperfiller. It helps securely secure items inside the package. In a box with such filling, a bottle of wine, a vase or a set of antique dishes will not rattle or roll from one side of the box to the other.
Paperfiller protects the contents of the package from mechanical damage and sudden temperature changes.
This filling looks better than foam or foam insert. Cut paper can come in different colors and textures. Designers select the filler based on the shape and color of the packaging, as well as the contents.
For a children's gift, multi-colored, corrugated paperfiller is suitable, but for presenting a present to your boss, it is better to use a single-color filling.
Sausage
The World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer consider sausages to be carcinogenic. According to research by IARC Monographs evaluating consumption of red meat and processed meat, regular consumption of them can increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. The issue is controversial and continues to be studied. But if you can doubt the dangers of sausage, then everything about the benefits is obvious: there is very little of it.
This is a high-calorie product with a high fat content due to the addition of bacon. It is very difficult to fit it into the balanced menu of a person who monitors their health.
But there is good news: homemade sausage is an excellent product that will not interfere with a healthy lifestyle. You can even calculate the calorie content for it.
How to cook homemade sausage: 5 great recipes →
Picture of pasta, cereals and bulk products
Children love to draw - with their fingers on a foggy window, with chalk on the asphalt, with paints in an album. Drawing expresses connection with the outside world and develops the child’s own perception of reality. You can draw not only with paints or chalk. Pictures can be created from ordinary products that are found in every kitchen.
What you will need : semolina, coarse salt, various cereals (buckwheat, rice, beans, small pasta).
What develops : fine motor skills, perseverance, concentration, imagination, imaginative thinking, sense of beauty. Massages and trains fingers. Has a calming effect.
Option 1
Sprinkle flour, salt or semolina on a smooth surface (this could be a dish, a large plate, a cutting board or a silicone mat for rolling out dough) and invite your child to draw a pattern, geometric shapes or even a small picture with his finger.
Option 2
Pour into different containers and give your child breakfast cereals, cereals, cereals, beans and pasta in different shapes. Apply glue to paper or thick colored cardboard. Ask your child to glue the products together to create a picture. You can do without glue if you simply lay out the sun, house or tree on the table surface. Multi-colored pasta is perfect for this. It's fun to string holey pasta or corn rings onto twine or strong thread to create a necklace.
Sometimes, for fun, you can let your baby play with cooked pasta, spaghetti or noodles. Children love to squeeze them with their hands, watching how the pasta “worms” jump out between their fingers. Oddly enough, this game also develops motor skills, and through this stimulates the areas of the brain that are responsible for motor activity and coordination of movements.
Dumplings
Semi-finished products are not as scary as they are written about. Much depends on the composition and quality of the starting products. The basic recipe for dumplings includes: flour, water, salt, meat, onions and spices.
On the label of purchased dumplings, you usually see that the manufacturer did not stop there. And his goal was not at all the desire to make them tastier.
Homemade dumplings require a clear composition, proper storage without defrosting, and precise proportions of ingredients. You will understand the difference when you cook them.
How to cook delicious homemade dumplings →
Fillers for mailboxes
Mailing boxes must be packed very tightly so that during transportation their contents are reliably protected from shocks, temperature changes and frequent movements of the packaging.
List of suitable fillings that meet these requirements:
- wide shavings of thick paper of mixed type;
- a mixture of thin strips of cobalt and sisal;
- corrugated paper with a grid for a rosebud;
- spiral rain with sisal and cobalt;
- a mixture of strips of packing tape and craft paper;
- newspaper shavings mixed with corrugated paper;
- foil rain and twine.
The walls of the box that will be transported must be reinforced with cardboard inserts. The top of the package can be wrapped with packaging film and placed inside a larger box. The contents of the gift, packaged in this way, will be delivered to the recipient intact and beautiful.
Candies
Sugar is an unhealthful product that can be safely avoided. WHO even released a “Sugar Intake Guidelines for Adults and Children,” which advises reducing the consumption of this white powder to 10% of total calories.
There is no need to deprive yourself of sweets - just replace them with homemade ones. They are just as tasty and sweet, only much healthier.
10 recipes for energy balls that are healthier and tastier than candy →
Origami style
To make a simple paper wallet in origami style, you will need a colored sheet of A4 paper, if you need a small wallet, otherwise take A3 size:
- A sheet of paper must be folded in half, thereby dividing the long sides and drawing a ruler along the fold so that a strip remains. Next, you should expand the sheet.
- You need to visually divide the halves in half, bend the right and left corners to their middles so that they meet in the center.
- On the paper there were 2 triangles at the edges. Bend the top of the triangle towards its base, and do this on both sides.
- At the base of the triangle we make a bend in the center of the sheet, on both sides. The result is a rectangle with no triangles at the ends.
- Turn the rectangle over with the missing triangles facing the table.
- Fold the edges towards you to the middle of the rectangle. You should end up with a square with no rhombus in the middle.
Fold the square inward so that the corners of the rhombus meet. Now, if you look at the small resulting rectangle, there are compartments on the bend side: you need to pull out a triangle from one half - this will be the wallet lid.
Origami wallet patterns:
Lemonade
Sugary drinks are dangerous because you can drink a lot of them. At the same time, 100 ml of cola contains 11.2 g of sugar, and a half-liter bottle already contains 56 g or 223 kcal. With a lemonade addiction, it is difficult to follow WHO recommendations on the maximum amount of sugar in the diet.
Research shows that 1-2 servings of sugary drinks daily increases the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
In homemade lemonade, you can reduce the amount of sugar and make it healthier by adding natural vegetable or fruit juice instead of flavoring.
How to make your own delicious carbonated lemonade →
Expenses
The left column lists all the family's regular expenses. They need to be listed in sufficient detail, but you shouldn’t go into very small details. For example, in our budget, the item “food and accommodation” includes the amounts that we leave in the supermarket once a week, purchasing groceries, household chemicals and household goods for seven days in advance. To figure out how much to budget for these expenses, I multiplied our average check amount by 4.5 (number of weeks) and added another 10% for small purchases during the week. If you buy groceries several times a week, calculate the approximate number of trips to the store during the month, multiply by the amount of the average check and add another 10%-20% just in case.
Each family member must have money for personal expenses (travel, meals at work/school, refueling the car, buying things for personal use, etc.). As a rule, these are not very large amounts. After creating a budget for the first month, you can see if the money allocated is enough and, if necessary, adjust the amounts for the next month.
Unforeseen expenses include all funds that are not spent on a regular basis: for example, on the purchase of clothes and shoes (you don’t buy a pair of shoes for all family members every month?), minor repairs, treatment, etc. When planning my first budget, I budgeted almost the same amount for unexpected expenses as for “room and board.” However, in practice it turned out that unforeseen expenses, oddly enough, are not so large - for us they amount to approximately 20% of “accommodation and food”. In other families, of course, everything may be different, so include an approximate amount in the first budget, and then, if necessary, adjust it up or down.
Having compiled a list of expenses, determine when and from what amount of income you will allocate funds for each of these items. For example, it is convenient to save money for food twice a month. If the amount to repay the loan cannot be painlessly allocated from one receipt of funds, it can be “collected” from several receipts of money. For not very reliable sources of income, it is better not to plan any serious expenses. For example, you receive funds for renting an apartment, cottage or garage, and your tenants suddenly move out or delay payment. This means that you will not receive this money on time and will not be able to pay the expenses that you planned.
Sauces
Store-bought sauce provides an interesting flavor that enhances the dish, as well as sugar, starch and many other ingredients that you can do without. Even in banal ketchup, the matter is not limited to tomatoes and spices.
Homemade sauce is full of flavor, made with quality ingredients. Freshly ground pepper is spicier, freshly chopped dill is more aromatic. Even if such a product cannot stand on a shelf in the refrigerator for months, it will bring much more gastronomic delights.
7 sauces that can transform any dish →
Tic Tac Toe
If you are interested in games for two at home, then pay attention to tic-tac-toe. This exciting and very simple game is familiar to everyone since childhood. During breaks at school, many people drew the playing field in their notebooks and fought with their neighbor on the desk. For even a small child to like the game, it needs to be improved a little.
Photo: pinterest.ru/plaidcrafts: UGC
To play you will need to create:
- Playing field.
You can draw it on a piece of paper or cardboard. But it will be much more interesting if you place the field in an unusual place. For example, on a wooden block. A field sewn from bright felt fabric looks unusual. Another idea is to place the game board on the refrigerator and use magnets instead of chips.
- Chips for the game.
The simplest thing is to make or sew chips in the shape of crosses and toes. But this is trivial. Try to create unusual figures - hearts of 2 colors, ladybugs and daisies. You can also use multi-colored buttons or pebbles with figures drawn on them to create chips.
The rules of the game don't change. Someone starts and places their chip in one of the cells. The second player goes next. The winner is the one who manages to collect the figures in three squares in a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally. Good luck!
Ice cream
The usual ice cream is not only a treat, but also a calorie bomb filled with sugar, fats and carbohydrates. Even people who are far from following a healthy lifestyle should not overuse ice cream, since the sugar in it is exactly the same as in lemonade with sweets.
And yet, homemade ice cream, even if you put the heaviest cream and the sweetest sugar in it, will be less harmful due to its simple composition. Store-bought treats usually do not limit themselves to milk and sweeteners.
And fruit-based ice cream without added sugar will easily fit into any diet.
3 types of ice cream that you can make yourself →
Get an apple
During this game, children will enjoy competing with each other in dexterity. Grab your towels, get your stopwatch ready and get started. It will be fun!
What you will need : a wide bowl of water, apples.
What develops : agility, coordination of movements, muscle strength.
Pour water into a bowl or basin and place the apples in it. Children, one at a time, must remove the floating apple from the bowl without using their hands. The one who does it the fastest wins. If you are at the dacha, you can try another version of the game - for example, hanging apples on a cord. Although donuts would be more suitable for this fun competition game!
Energy bars
This product, as the name suggests, is supposed to fill you with energy quickly. But its sources may be different. The simplest of them is sugar, which quickly breaks down into simple saccharides, which the body uses. But the energy dries up as quickly as it comes. Moreover, in this case there is no difference between an energy bar and a regular chocolate bar with nuts. And that's the best case scenario. At worst, you will find an extremely dubious composition as a whole.
Homemade energy bars are a source of healthy fats due to the addition of nuts. And you will have enough energy for a long time due to fast (chocolate, dried fruits, honey) and slow (cereals) carbohydrates.
3 energy bar recipes for everyone who loves sports →
What should freelancers do?
Since the method is based on building a budget with regular cash flows, those who work remotely and freelance may think that it is not suitable for them. Of course, everything depends on each specific case, but as a rule, each freelancer has one or more regular customers, cooperation with whom forms the majority of his monthly income. Enter into the table the most pessimistic amounts and the latest dates of receipt of funds from each regular client. It is on these cautious forecasts that the expenditure side of the budget should be calculated. Income received from random customers, as well as amounts from regular customers that exceed the pessimistic level you define, are automatically included in the unpredictable part of savings.
Photo: mforussia.ru, arsenalmastera.ru, ozon.ru, kakprosto.ru, nice-pics.ru
I have already written about what toys can be made from boxes for children. Today you will also see something interesting... Everyone remembers the game from childhood to the store. Surely your children also love this activity - counting money))) For such a useful game (learning new words - vegetables, fruits, learning to count), you will need a cash register. I want to show what a wonderful cash register you can make from a box. What we need: Calculator with big buttons (Doesn't have to work) Cardboard box (Larger than a calculator) Plastic container (Smaller than a cardboard box) Corrugated cardboard Paper towel roll Scissors Utility knife Paper Pen Paint Brushes Hot glue Tape How to: STEP 1. First we will make the cash register display. We cut our roll taking into account the size of the cardboard box. We will need to attach two circles of corrugated cardboard to both ends of the roll. We will cut out 12 pieces of cardboard to display the numbers (0-9) and need to be labeled. Let's cut a slot in the roll to insert cardboard figures with numbers there. STEP 2. Now we will make the cash register buttons. Measure the size of your calculator's keyboard. Find a place on the box for the buttons and make a hole in it. STEP 3. Now we are making a retractable cash drawer. Measure the container and cut a corresponding hole in the bottom of the cardboard box. STEP 4. Cut out additional circles and rectangles from cardboard: buttons and a special device for credit cards. STEP 5. Let's color our box and buttons. STEP 6: Use tape to secure the calculator in the box. STEP 7. You need to make the bottom and glue all the parts to the box: THAT'S ALL! Our interactive craft for kids out of the box - DIY cash register is ready!
