1 Oct 2023
From Squash to Sculpture
Kate Markland
During our recent visit to the Bournemouth Arts Show, we stumbled upon a delightful activity that had us both laughing and getting creative: making vegetable heads!
At first, Gabriel was a bit skeptical and thought it sounded a bit silly, but once he got started, he was completely hooked.
We grabbed a butternut squash to serve as the body of our character. It was the perfect size! Next, with the help of some cocktail sticks, we transformed our squash into a quirky veggie figure.
A carrot became its nose, while celery stalks made sturdy legs. For the eyes, we popped in Brussels sprouts, and for a touch of flair, we fashioned a Tommy Shanter-style hat out of a large field mushroom, topping it off with a cherry tomato for a cheeky finish.
Gabriel was absolutely in his element, giggling as we assembled our creation. It was wonderful to see him so engaged in the process, turning what started as a silly idea into a full-blown veggie character.
I couldn’t help but think how great it would have been to do something like this when he was younger—it might have encouraged him to eat more vegetables!
As we finished our masterpiece and stepped back to admire it, I realised that these moments of creativity and fun not only strengthen our bond but also make even the simplest vegetables a bit more appealing.
Who knew that transforming vegetables into characters could spark such joy?