Crazy-Fun Cranberry Learning + An Orange Cranberry Muffins Recipe

Thank you to Ocean Spray® for sponsoring this blog post.  All opinions are my own.  Please see my disclosure policy.

I have to admit…  When I was a kid, I passed on the cranberry sauce at the Thanksgiving table.  That tin can-shaped mound of maroon looked less than appetizing.  And I let that cloud my judgment of cranberry anything for most of my childhood years.

But when I tried my first Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice Cocktail in my teens, my world opened to the bright taste of cranberry.  And I was hooked.

So when Ocean Spray® invited my Priscilla and me to join them in New York City’s Rockefeller Center® to celebrate the first day of Fall – and the bicentennial of the first cultivated cranberry harvest – I was giddy with excitement!

(Psst… Looking for the delicious Orange Cranberry Muffins Recipe?  It’s down below, right after our Cranberry Classroom fun.) 

Our Crazy Fun Cranberry Learning in NYC

On Thursday, September 22, Ocean Spray® set up a “Cranberry Classroom” for visitors to learn everything imaginable about the cranberry – complete with a 1,500 square foot cranberry bog right in the middle of Rockefeller Center®.

Throughout the day, wandering tourists, local families, and NYC professionals chatted with real cranberry growers and their families and experienced The Most Beautiful Harvest through virtual reality.

In the afternoon, a handful of mama bloggers and their kiddos (including me and Priscilla!) were welcomed into the “Cranberry Classroom.”  We were met with some delicious cranberry snacks and treats.  From celery sticks topped with cream cheese and Ocean Spray® Craisins® Dried Cranberries to turkey wraps with delicious cranberry sauce for dipping and more.

Then Priscilla got to explore the taste, health, and heritage of the awesome berry through a series of super fun educational activities.

First, Miss P entered “History Class” where she and her new “classmates” learned about the fascinating 200-year history of the cranberry and played a timeline game to test their new knowledge.

Next, she made her way to “Technology Class” to experience a cranberry bog and cranberry harvesting through virtual reality.

Then, Priscilla had some hands-on “Heritage” learning when she put some waders on and headed into the cranberry bog.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her smile so big.  She exclaimed,

“I’m definitely giong to be a cranberry farmer when I grow up!”

Finally, Miss Priscilla moved on to “Science Class” where she and her new friends learned about the cranberry’s root system and made their own Bog-In-A-Cup.

Experience The Most Beautiful Harvest with Your Kids, Too!

Whether you’re homeschooling and learning about fruits and/or agriculture, are a teacher wanting to expand her class’ learning, or just want to show your kids something really neat…  You’ve got to try this!  

Ocean Spray® launched the “Most Beautiful Harvest” experience in 2015 using Oculus Rift technology so you can visit www.OSharvest.com to get your own fully immersive, 360-degree views of a cranberry bog.

Then Make Some Orange Cranberry Muffins

After you’ve learned about the cranberry’s journey from bog to cup, have the kids help make a cranberry snack.  These Orange Cranberry Muffins are the perfect sweet treat to get the kids excited about cranberries.  (And to pop in their lunch boxes, too!)

Orange Cranberry Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• zest of one orange
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ cup sour cream
• ¾ cup Ocean Spray® Craisins® Dried Cranberries

Steps:

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More Learning Fun from B-Inspired Mama:

• Get Cookin’ for Some Kids Language Learning FUN!
• 16+ Pumpkin-Themed Early Learning Ideas for Preschoolers
• 15 Super Fun Farm Play and Early Learning Ideas

Thank you to Ocean Spray® for sponsoring this blog post. All opinions are my own.