Directions

1. Before the kids get involved, begin by preparing the fruit. To safely slice the melons without them rolling or sliding around, cut off one side of the rind to create a flat edge. Slice melons and pineapple into large diameter slices that are at most, a ¼”thick. It's important not to slice the fruit too thick as this will make for a top-heavy bouquet that's likely to tip over. This is also key because it's much harder for kids to cut thick fruit with cookie cutters. If you're using a melon baller, set aside some of the melons for making them in the next step.
2. Use a melon baller to scoop out balls of watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe.
3. To create a unique bouquet, choose various sizes of floral cookie cutters. Get creative! Try using smaller cookie cutters to cut out the centers of some of your flowers. Make sure to cut out the core of any pineapple flowers using cookie cutters or a pineapple corer.
4. Now it's time to get creative! Assemble a variety of flowers in different shapes and sizes. To add height and variety, skewer a line of melon balls, center cut-outs, grapes, or blueberries. Mix and match fruit flowers with center cut-outs from different coloured fruits. For visual interest, leave some flowers with the center cut-outs.
5. Stabilize the vase to prevent it from tipping over while you work. Place your vase in a loaf tin padded with a kitchen towel. You could also fill the vase with extra melon balls to provide some stability for the skewers.
6. As you assemble the bouquet, cut skewers to a variety of lengths to create a realistic bouquet. Add fresh mint leaves to add fresh pops of green and fill out the bouquet.
7. If you chose not to fill the vase with melons balls, fill the vase with water using a funnel. The water helps to make the bouquet look more realistic and adds weight and stability to the base.TIP: Use leftover fruit shapes for a floral fruit salad. Fruit flowers are an exciting and fun way to prepare fresh fruit for school lunches and snacks.