Bento boxes – My Second Grader has been studying Japan in school and has become obsessed with all things Japanese. He would be the first to tell you that in Japan, everything is an art form, and the details matter – a lot. When it comes to food, presentation is important, and bento boxes are a wonderful, creative (and nutritious) way to present an array of foods. To get started, check out the first post in a three-part series about bento boxes on our sister site, Mommy Poppins CT. For more great ideas and gorgeous photos, visit Happy Little Bento. I challenged my 8 and 10 year olds to make dinner inspired by obento, and with just a little guidance from me, they came up with an impressive spread (see photo!). 

Doodle cake – I know, the inside of the Rainbow Doodle Birthday Cake from Sweetapolita looks like a whole lot of work, but I love the idea of the white fondant as a canvas, and food color markers as a child’s drawing tools. If, unlike me, you’re not intimidated by the rainbow layers, visit Whisk Kid, the young genius creator of the rainbow cake, for a tutorial.

Charving – What is charving, you ask? Well, we’ve been reading Oggie Cooder by Sarah Weeks, and the title character has a unique talent, which he calls charving (a combination of chewing and carving). He carves shapes, like each of the States, from American cheese with his teeth. My kids have really gotten into this idea, and have been charving on a daily basis for the past week. I don’t know if they have a natural talent for it, but it’s creative, right? See what your kids can create with a slice of cheese!

Cupcakes – Kids amaze me with the artistic creations they come up with when baking, especially when they are decorating cupcakes. If you are looking for a project to get you started, try the Fishing Pole Cupcakes from Easy Cupcakes. They are incredibly cute, and a kid – or even an adult who is a total spaz in the kitchen (like me) – can make them!

Edible dioramas – The Edible Zoo from Blog Me Mom is a great place to start, but you could take this idea and run with it. I think the Rice Krispies base is key here.

Cookie cutters – Cookie cutters seem to transform any food into a work of art (as evidenced by my kids’ “bento” creations using leaf and acorn shaped cutters), but these 3D Cookie Cutters found by Cool Mom Picks take the art form to a whole new level. 

For more ideas, check out Mommy Poppins Boston on Pinterest. Got food art? We’d love to see it! Email me photos and I’ll post them on our Pinterest board dedicated to the challenge, A Month of Creativity.