Grinch Popcorn Festive And Fun Perfect For The Holidays

Cooking with Kids: Grinch Popcorn + Visual Recipe

Plus a downloadable visual recipe provided by Katherine Wolf, MS, CCC-SLP/LATS

Grinch Popcorn is fun for the whole family. Start the holiday off by planning a movie night. Take a guess as to which movie is our family’s favorite… How the Grinch Stole Christmas, of course! We started making this sweet and savory snack to enjoy during the holidays, but soon realized that it also makes a great gift for teachers and therapists. It is so easy to make that the kids can help you make a big batch; once it’s done, you can bag it up with a pretty holiday bows and ribbons from the dollar store and VOILA…you have homemade gifts from your kiddo!

Watch our video demonstration and also receive free language tips to encourage your child’s language skills.

We created this visual printable recipe so everyone can participate. 

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Grinch Popcorn Ingredients

• ½ bag Skinny Pop Popcorn (12oz)
• Chocolate M&Ms (red and green)
• Caramel M&Ms (red and green)
• Marshmallows
• 3-4 squares Almond Bark Vanilla flavored coating
• Food coloring (Leaf Green, Icing Color Wilton)
• 3-4 squares Green tinted almond bark vanilla flavored coating
• 1-2 tsp Coconut oil (1tsp per 3-4 chocolate bark squares)

Prep and Directions:

Kitchen Appliances & Tools Needed:

Microwave, Parchment paper, Microwave bowl, Baking pan, spoon or fork.

Use a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Put the popcorn out on the pan as a single layer (so it’s not doubled up).

Melt 3 to 4 squares of almond bark in microwave according to directions on package. Once bark is melted, add about 1-tsp of coconut oil and stir until it is all smooth and clear and then drizzle over the top of popcorn. Note: The coconut oil will make the coating easier to drizzle over popcorn.

Sprinkle a layer of red & green M&M’s on top of popcorn and vanilla coating.

Next, add a layer of marshmallows, sprinkled all over the top of popcorn.

Add the Caramel M&M’s (red and green) on top of popcorn.

Green Coating: Melt almond bark in microwave according to directions on package. Once bark is melted add about ½ tsp of coconut oil and stir. Add a few drops of Wilton’s Leaf green, icing color for Grinch green or add three drops of green food coloring and one drop of yellow food coloring.

Drizzle green coating over all! The more almond bark coating you use, the better it tastes and better it holds together. Let it sit until it hardens and then store in airtight “baggies” or airtight container.

Tip: Make sure the popcorn is even on the sheet in order for better coverage when coating gets drizzled onto popcorn.

Eat! Talk! Enjoy

Related: Holiday Gift List Form – Helping to Simplify Your Gift Giving

Language Time Tips:

Build vocabulary: Use nouns and action words. Nouns: popcorn, marshmallows, M&Ms, coconut oil, etc…Action words: put, melt, sprinkle, drizzle, etc…

Colors and Size: There are different colors in this mix: white for the popcorn and marshmallows, red and green for the M&Ms, a different shade of green for the “drizzle”, and yellow for the food coloring (if you choose to use it). You can practice your child’s receptive language of colors, sizes and textures: With all of the ingredients being different, you can ask, “Which is larger, the popcorn or the M&M?”, “Which ingredient is smooth?”, “Which ingredient is red?”.

Comment and Describe: Let your child taste each ingredient of the recipe and discuss the flavors and textures. Encourage your child to describe ingredients are they sweet, crunchy, soft or hard?

Sequencing and recalling information: This recipe has a definite order to follow, it needs to be prepared correctly in order to “present” correctly. For example, the popcorn needs to be placed on the pan first. See how your child follows the steps. Ask them to tell you the order of the ingredients. Ask them why they should do it in the particular order? What happens if they do not follow the order? After you are done with the steps to making this wonderful holiday treat, ask your child what you did first, next, etc.

Answering and asking “wh” questions: Sample “wh” questions include: Sample “wh” questions include, “What is the drizzle for?” or “What makes this taste so good?” and “Why do we put certain items in order?”

Literacy! Try a fun syllable activity by counting how many syllables are in each ingredient. What ingredient has the most syllables? How about the least amount of syllables? The word “Grinch” has a “-ch” at the end…how does that sound and what other words can you think of that have that sound?

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This post originally appeared on our November/December 2017 Magazine