Harvest Blanket: An Activity to Explore the Harvest, Anytime of the Year

“Branchy.” “Flowery.” “Textured.” “Wiggly.”

“Segmented.” “Rough.” “Long.” “Soft.”

Can you guess what these mystery vegetables were?

It’s trickier than you might think to describe how a vegetable feels, especially when you can’t see it. Harvest Blanket is one of our favorite activities for helping kids explore food with their senses in unexpected ways. It’s a playful way to introduce new fruits and vegetables—especially to kids who are hesitant to try new foods—without the pressure of eating them.

Here’s how it works: everyone gathers around a table, and a mystery produce item is passed from person to person under a blanket. Everyone offers one word to describe what they feel. The group then tries to guess what’s beneath the blanket.

It’s simple, silly, and surprisingly challenging, and a fun activity for the classroom or family dinner table. The Mount Mansfield School District nutrition staff recently tried Harvest Blanket during a team field trip to the Shelburne Farms Market Garden, as they explored new ways to bring unfamiliar foods into the classroom and cafeteria.

(The mystery items? Broccoli and leek!)

Directions

Before the activity, collect a variety of fruits, vegetables, or seeds typically harvested in your area and store them in a paper grocery bag so the students can’t see them.

1. Spread out the blanket and place under it one vegetable, fruit or seed from the collection you have assembled in the paper grocery bag.  Make sure the students can’t see what’s under the blanket.
2. Ask five or six children to sit or lie on their stomachs around the blanket.  The rest of the children should make a circle around the outside of this group.
3. Have the children put their hands under the blanket. Explain that they will be passing a fruit, vegetable or seed around the circle underneath the blanket.  Each student will get a chance to handle the object.  Remind the children not to peek or to mention what they think the object is.
4. Explain that each student will feel the object and give an adjective or clue to describe it.  With younger students, ask specific questions to elicit adjectives.  Is it hard or soft? Long or short? Big or little? After all the students have given an adjective or clue, have the rest of the class try to guess what fruit, vegetable or seed it is.  Does the group who felt the object agree on the type of fruit, vegetable or seed it is? Why or why not?
5. Reveal the fruit, vegetable, or seed and let another group of five or six children take a turn feeling and describing a new object under the blanket.
6. Use the fruits, vegetables, and seeds to make a snack.

Download the activity and find additional extensions for learning. This activity comes from Project Seasons, which is available for a free download in our Resource Library.