Warm weather is here, and we can feel the urge to go outside growing! We’ve pulled out our shorts and the butterflies are out. To celebrate this sweet season, let’s make iced herbal teas together!

As with iced tea, which contains Theanine, iced herbal teas are thirst-quenching beverages. That being said, herbal teas do not contain Theanine, so they are ideal for children!

Step 1 : Ingredients 

First, choose your favorite herbal tea, for example, chamomile for its calming properties, mint for its freshness or lemon balm to help with migraines and painful periods (that’s for you, mom!).

Ingredients for one pitcher: 

  • 6 cups of water;  
  • 6 to 8 herbal tea bags; 
  • ½ cup of maple syrup, honey or sugar (your choice); 
  • Slices of lemon, lime, orange or other citrus fruits; 
  • Frozen fruits (to your liking). 

Step 2 : Preparation

First, boil the water and add the tea bags to infuse for 2 to 3 minutes (according to the instructions on the bag).

When your herbal tea is infused, remove the tea bags and add the sweetener of your choice (granulated, honey, syrup …), and mix. Make sure to add the sweetener while the liquid is still hot, this will allow the honey or maple syrup to melt. Note that if you use granulated sugar in chilled herbal tea, it will not dissolve in the liquid, it will settle at the bottom of the container.

Add a good serving of ice cubes or simply let the beverage cool down in the refrigerator.

Step 3 : Garnish and serve!

If you can opt for a sugar-free version, we suggest adding iced fruits such as grapes or berries which will play a sweetening role while keeping your drink cold.

When your iced herbal tea is ready to drink, add citrus slices, as desired. You can also decorate with fruit skewers, or add mint for freshness.

Enjoy, ideally in the sun… without forgetting sunscreen on the side!

Diary

In today’s diary, children can document the activity for the day. For example, by drawing the steps of the recipe and its ingredients. The possibilities are endless!

We invite parents to ask their kids questions about today’s activity to feed and improve on their journal entry as well as to engage them in a nice conversation. Here are some questions you can ask:

  • Do you know what herbal teas are made of? Herbals teas have distinct healing properties obtained by maceration,  infusion or concoction of plant material such as fresh or dried flowers, leaves, stems, roots, etc., in hot or cold water.
  • What did you prefer about this recipe ?    
  • Name some of your family members favorite beverages.  

Did you know… 

  • Lemon balm, lime blossom and orange blossom are all recommended for their calming properties. These are ideal teas to drink before going to bed.
  • Indigenous peoples in Canada use plants and other natural products as remedies. In all, the indigenous peoples have identified more than 400 species of plants (as well as lichen, fungi and algae) suitable for medicinal use, to cure or mitigate diseases.
  • For example, Indigenous peoples in Canada use pine resin and bark  infusions to treat sore throats, coughs, colds, tuberculosis, digestive disorders, and as a tonic and purgative.
     

To continue on with the theme of family cooking activities, here is an article with good tips on cooking with children. 

Activity by Matante Claudette.