Slicing a Banana · Beadbar

Safety

Check the school's allergy list before offering this or any food work.
Use only a butter knife with a rounded tip; sharp knives stay out of the children's area.
An adult sits beside the child for the whole time the knife is in use, and the child stays seated while cutting.
The child sits to eat, with a few slices on the plate at a time, to reduce the risk of choking from filling the mouth.

Presentation

1
Check the allergy list. Invite the child, wash hands together, and put on aprons.
2
Peel the banana as in Peeling a Banana, or wait while the child peels it. Break it in half and lay one half flat on the board.
3
Hold the far end of the banana with your fingertips on top. Keep those fingers still.
4
Pick up the knife by the handle, blade down. Cut straight down with a small back-and-forth motion until the knife touches the board. The knife reaching the board is the point of interest.
5
Push the slice to the side with the knife. Cut the next slice.
6
Put the knife down on the tray. Invite the child to hold the other half and cut.
7
Place the slices on the plate. The child sits and eats them, or carries the plate to a friend or the snack table.
8
Put the peel in the compost, and carry the knife and board to the washing area together.

Extensions, easiest to hardest

Slice other soft foods with the butter knife: ripe strawberries, cooked potato, avocado, ripe melon
Cut slices of about the same thickness
Slice a banana to add to the snack table

Control of error

A slice still joined to the banana shows the knife did not reach the board; a squashed banana shows the knife pressed without the back-and-forth motion.

Ready to move on when the child…

Cuts each slice all the way through
Keeps the holding hand at the far end of the banana, away from the knife
Puts the knife down on the tray when not cutting