Grilling Animals – A Fun Activity For Young and Old Alike

A few years ago, I was designing an educational activity for my preschool class (check it out here). The activity wasn’t based on any particular game, but rather featured some classic California coastal animals like sea anemones, seaurchins, and fish. The kids loved the activity so much that by the end of the week, we had taken over my parents’ home and spent the night cooking up the fish treats! Of course, we didn’t clean up until the next morning, and by then the fish had died! We held onto the recipe, though, because some of the ingredients, namely vinegar and baking soda, are easy to find and relatively inexpensive.

Another option for cooking up a treat is using small pieces of meat, cut into small pieces or strips, and marinated in lime, lemon, or orange juice for an hour or so. You can find ready-made marinades for most animals online. Simply follow the instructions on the packaging. At first, this might sound difficult, especially if you are new to grilling meat (especially beef), but after a couple tries, your meat will come out moist and delicious, and surprisingly, not as salty or sour as you would expect.

One other option for cooking up a tasty treat is using fruit and vegetables as toppings. This is my personal favorite – I find that fruits with lots of chopped ingredients (like cherries, berries, oranges, etc) go well with the taste of grilled or roasted meat. Also, be careful with seasonings; just a dab of curry powder, a few drops of olive oil, or even just a dash of your favorite hot sauce will do the trick! There are plenty of other ways to grill your meats and vegetables, but these are among the easiest. Good luck with your grilled animals!