Nutrition

Kale is a leafy green vegetable and contains vitamins (K and C), minerals (manganese, calcium and iron) in addition to polyphenols and fibre.

Shopping Guide

Look out for kale that has fresh, crisp leaves and avoid those that are limp and yellow.

Storage

To store kale, just keep it dry and in the fridge for up to a week.

Preparation

To prep kale – if on the stalk break the leaves off, trim away the tough centre stalk, wash thoroughly and chop. If you find kale slightly bitter, try massaging it for a few minutes in some olive oil before cooking as this helps to release some of its bitter compounds. You can steam, boil or sauté you kale or if you like it crunchy try baking it with some salt and pepper to sprinkle into your salads.

Kids in the Kitchen

For a younger child, why not get them to wash the kale by separating out the leaves and giving them a good wash and dry? If they want to do more, can they help pull the leaves off the stems and tear into small pieces? Or try “massaging” the kale by drizzling the torn leaves in a bowl with some dressing or oil and lemon juice and scrunching with clean hands until it softens – it’s a great hands on activity for kids and makes kale much easier and nicer to eat!

For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to practise some essential knife skills using the claw grip to roughly chop the leaves. If they want to try helping you on the stove, they could pop torn leaves into a pan with some butter and garlic or soy sauce and a splash of water and cover the pan, checking every now and then to stir until it is soft and lovely!

Find more ideas for involving kids in the kitchen here.

Sensory

Try exploring kale by comparing regular kale with cavolo nero (commonly called “dinosaur kale”). What does it look like? How does it feel? What colours can you see? Does it remind you of anything? Does it have a smell? Try biting through the leaves and stems separately, or snapping them by your ear if not up to trying them, and see if the leaves or stems sound crunchier.

Find more sensory ideas, tips and videos here. If you get stuck and need a little help with describing words, we have a selection for you here, too!

Serving

Next time you make a meal that includes kale, why not ask your child to help you with one small step in the preparation of the kale (maybe stripping the leaves from the stems), then see if they want to help you serve it as “their” meal. Perhaps they could help lay the table and even create a fun centrepiece, maybe with all green objects to reflect the kale’s colour?

Find the best ways of involving your own child and their skills and interests on our Roles for Kids page.

Activities

Why not try making an edible jungle or forest scene using kale leaves for trees and other veg for details on a plate or tray? Or try drawing a close up kale leaf by observing it under a magnifying glass to get the veins, lines and leaves just right!

Kids more into science? Explore kale by investigating the leaves, veins, stems and colours of them with a magnifying glass. If you can, try buying both regular kale and “dinosaur kale” (cavolo nero). Can you see how cavolo nero got that nickname? What’s the texture and colour difference between the two types? How are they similar? Another fun science experiment is to get some kale, wash and dry it, strip the leaves from the stems and tear the leaves into pieces in a large bowl, then pour over some dressing or oil and lemon juice, and use you hands to “massage” the kale for about 5-10 mins, or until you feel the texture change and soften. Look at the kale before “massaging” and after – how has it changed? What do you think has happened? Does it taste different or feel different, too?

You can find more at-home science fun with veg with our videos from Stefan Gates’ here.

Find loads more free veg-themed crafts here and games here.