If your kids are more likely to play with their food than to eat it, Hello Hanna has the solution for you. These darling pop-up placemats feature little characters who pop out of the mat and come with reusable stickers so your kids can decorate (and re-decorate!) them as they see fit.

I love the Hello Robot design and the adorable animals in Hello Jungle, but my favorite has to be the Hello Me line. It’s like combining paper dolls with snack time! What more could a girl ask for?

Maybe it’s the wild popularity of the Food Network, the celebrity of super chefs like Bobby Flay or just a heightened awareness of healthy eating, but kids across the country have suddenly become foodies–and it isn’t just Easy Bake Ovens they are cooking with!

Instead of sculpting flowers during Play-Doh time, my five-year-old friend Madeline has recently insisted upon creating neon pink pizzas for a mini “Quick Fire Challenge,” a term she seems to have picked up from Bravo’s “Top Chef.” And this type of excitement over culinary creations doesn’t stop during playtime–cooking classes have become the hot new trend in children’s birthday parties, where guests are taught to make their own tasty treats and are given aprons and recipe books as a part of the gift bag.

Just this morning, YumSugar posted a charming story about a youngster who shares a name with celebrity chef Rachel Ray. Like her famous counterpart, this ten-year-old food fan has been indulging her love of cooking for years!

If you plan to host or attend a children’s cooking party, consider giving a cute kid’s cookbook as a gift, like this one from Rachel Ray herself. And don’t forget Tiny Print’s adorable line of chef-inspired invitations–they are the perfect way to encourage your little Iron Chef to turn up the heat in the kitchen!