Build a Rainbow Snack Cup

No stove. No oven. Just a rainbow you can eat!

Hi, friends! It's Julia again. Today we'll make a snack with no cooking at all. We'll put fruit on plain yogurt, one color at a time, to build a rainbow!

First, we'll learn how to keep our hands and kitchen clean. Safe cooks are happy cooks.

The lesson in brief

Wash your hands with soap before you touch food. Ask a grown-up to do any cutting. Then build your cup: plain yogurt on the bottom, fruit on top in rainbow order.

Big idea: Real food can be fast, fun and colorful. No added sugar needed!

Step one: wash your hands

Germs are tiny living things that can make you sick. They are too small to see. Washing with soap helps get them off your hands, so they don't get on your food.

Wet your hands with clean, running water. Turn off the tap and add soap.
Lather. Rub your hands together to make bubbles. Get the backs, between your fingers and under your nails.
Scrub for at least 20 seconds. That's the "Happy Birthday" song, sung two times!
Rinse your hands under clean, running water.
Dry your hands with a clean towel.

Wash before and after you make food, and before you eat.

Kitchen safety rules

Ask first. Always cook with a grown-up nearby.
Check for allergies. Ask a grown-up if any food in this snack is not safe for you, like milk in yogurt or a fruit.
Grown-ups cut. Sharp knives are a grown-up job. You can do the building!
Rinse the fruit. Wash fruit under running water before it is cut or eaten.
Clean the counter. Start with a clean spot, and wipe it again when you're done.

Recipe: Rainbow Snack Cup

Makes 1 cup. A recipe is a set of steps for making a food.

You need

Half a cup of plain yogurt (no added sugar)
A few pieces of fruit in each color: strawberries (red), orange pieces (orange), pineapple (yellow), kiwi (green), blueberries (blue) and grapes (purple)
A clear cup and a spoon

Steps

Wash your hands with soap.
A grown-up rinses the fruit and cuts it into small pieces. Grapes are cut lengthwise into quarters, or smaller.
Spoon the yogurt into the cup.
Add the fruit one color at a time: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, then purple.
Count your colors. Six colors means a whole rainbow!
Eat with your spoon, then help clean up.

Swap it! No clear cup? Use a bowl. Missing a color? Use any fruit you have. Every rainbow is a good one.

Play the Rainbow Cup game at jugami.com/nutrition/rainbow-snack-cup/

Game: Rainbow Cup

Add the fruit to your cup in rainbow order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Build all six without a mix-up to earn a gold star! About 2 minutes.

Self-guided quiz

Answer at your own pace. Tap an answer to check it.

1. What should you do before you touch food?
2. How long should you scrub your hands with soap?
3. Who should use a sharp knife?
4. Which goes on the bottom of our snack cup?
5. Which fruit is blue?

Score: 0 of 5 (first tries)

Sources

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (RealFood.gov) (whole, colorful vegetables and fruits; plain dairy; avoid added sugars, especially for children)
CDC: About Handwashing (the five steps, 20 seconds, "Happy Birthday" twice, washing before and after making food)
CDC: Healthy Eating Tips (aim for a variety of colors; top unsweetened yogurt with fruit)
FDA: Selecting and Serving Produce Safely (rinse fruit under running water before cutting or eating it)

Credits: Words, drawings, recipe and game by Julia for Jugami Nutrition and Cooking. All pictures are original hand-drawn SVG. Nothing you tap is saved or sent anywhere.