Home & House Theme Food Ideas for Kids
Turn houses and animal homes into a fun family dinner theme. Kids can make foods inspired by houses, igloos, turtle shells and bird nests while talking about the many different kinds of homes people and animals use.
This theme works well for a family dinner, cooking activity or lesson about homes and habitats. Choose a few edible-home ideas for your menu, then let kids help build and decorate the food.
Choose one food kids can build + one animal-home idea + a simple fruit or vegetable side. Finish with a gingerbread or graham cracker house if you want an edible centerpiece or dessert activity.
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Build an Edible House Centerpiece
A gingerbread or graham cracker house makes an easy centerpiece for this theme. Build one large house for the table or let each child decorate a small house of their own.
Edible Igloos Three Ways
Explore another kind of shelter by building an edible igloo. Choose whichever version works best with your menu.
Turtle Bread
Some animals carry their homes wherever they go. Shape homemade bread dough into a turtle with a round shell, head, legs and tail.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2-3 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 eggs, divided
- Raisins, for eyes
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Start with 2 1/2 cups flour and add more later if needed.
- Add the water, milk and butter to a microwave-safe bowl and warm the mixture.
- Stir in the yeast and let it stand until it begins to foam.
- Add the yeast mixture and 1 egg to the flour mixture. Stir until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, adding a little additional flour if needed, until smooth.
- Cover the dough and let it rest while you grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Set aside small pieces of dough for the turtle's head, four legs and tail. Shape the remaining dough into the turtle's body and shell.
- Arrange all the pieces on the prepared baking sheet and gently attach the head, legs and tail to the body.
- Add raisins for eyes.
- Beat the remaining egg with a fork and brush it over the turtle bread.
- Let the shaped dough rise for about 30 minutes.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and baked through.
Turtle Pancakes
Turn ordinary pancakes into a turtle by combining different sizes and adding fruit for the face and shell.
Edible Tipi Treats
Turn sugar cones into simple edible tipi-inspired treats for the home and shelter theme. Kids can decorate each one with frosting, sprinkles and pretzel-stick poles.
Ingredients
- Sugar cones
- White frosting
- Colored frosting or candy sprinkles
- Pretzel sticks
Directions
- Place a sugar cone pointed-side up on a plate or work surface.
- Spread white frosting over the outside of the cone.
- Decorate with colored frosting, sprinkles or simple patterns.
- Carefully make a small opening in the pointed end of the cone.
- Insert 2-3 pretzel sticks into the top to resemble poles.
- Repeat with additional cones and arrange them together for an edible display.
More Edible Home & Habitat Ideas
Once kids start thinking about homes, there are lots of ways to continue the theme. Try building houses from familiar foods or create snacks inspired by the places animals live.
- House Sandwiches: Cut sandwiches into squares and triangles and add cheese or vegetables for doors and windows.
- Cracker Houses: Build miniature houses from crackers using cream cheese, hummus or another thick spread.
- House-Shaped Pizza: Shape pizza dough like a house and decorate it with vegetable windows, a cheese door and favorite toppings.
- Log Cabin Snack: Stack pretzel rods or breadsticks to resemble a small log cabin.
- Under-the-Sea Homes: Talk about shells, coral reefs, and other ocean habitats while making a sea-creature snack plate.
- Spider Web: Use pretzel sticks and melted chocolate or frosting to build an edible web while talking about how spiders use webs. Add a cookie spider.
- Snail Shell Snacks: Make a spiral "home" using a tortilla pinwheel, cinnamon roll, or sliced fruit.
Edible Bird Nest Ideas
Bird nests are another fun way to explore animal homes with food. Try a sweet nest, a potato nest or even a noodle nest.
More Themes to Explore
Keep exploring the places where people and animals live with more creative food themes and hands-on kitchen activities.
Home & House Theme Food Questions
Try foods shaped like houses or inspired by animal homes, such as turtle bread, edible igloos, bird nests, turtle pancakes and gingerbread or graham cracker houses.
Kids can shape bread dough, stack cheese cubes, arrange fruit, decorate edible houses and build food into nest or animal shapes. Adults should handle knives, ovens and hot pans as needed.
Yes. Foods inspired by nests, shells and shelters can lead to conversations about the different places people and animals live and how homes help provide shelter.
A small gingerbread or graham cracker house makes an easy edible centerpiece. Kids can decorate it to match the season or dinner theme.
Make your own Theme Dinner Party page.
Have you put together your own Theme Dinner Party? Do you have a theme menu or theme dinner idea to share? Tell us about it and we will create your own theme dinner party page.
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