Spoon facts for kids

A soup spoon

A dessert spoon

A spoon is a simple tool we use every day, mainly for eating. It helps us enjoy foods that are soft or liquid, like soup and yogurt. Spoons are also great for stirring things. While they are super useful for liquids, we also use them for solid foods such as cereal and ice cream. A larger spoon called a ladle is often used to serve dishes like soup or stew.

Different Kinds of Spoons

Did you know there are many types of spoons? Each one is designed for a special job! Some common ones include:

• Dessert spoons: Used for sweet treats after a meal.
• Soup spoons: Perfect for enjoying a bowl of soup.
• Baby spoons: Small and gentle for feeding infants.
• Teaspoons: Great for stirring tea or measuring small amounts.
• Tablespoons: Larger than teaspoons, used for serving or measuring bigger amounts.

Some spoons are so special that people collect them! These can be worth a lot of money. Also, some musicians use two spoons together to make music, like a castanet.

The History of Spoons

Spoons have been around for a very long time. People have used them since the Paleolithic Age, which was thousands of years ago! Early humans likely used natural items like shells or small pieces of wood as their first spoons.

The word "spoon" has an interesting history too:

• The Greek and Latin words for spoon come from cochlea. This word means a spiral-shaped snail shell.
• The Anglo-Saxon word spoon meant a chip or splinter of wood. This shows how early spoons might have looked.

Images for kids

• 

  Wooden spoons, Betsileo people, Madagascar, 19th century

• 

  Sasanian spoon and fork (4th century)

• 

  A Crusade-era spoon from 1017 that was found on archaeological excavation of Tursiannotko in Pirkkala, Finland

• 

  A selection of Georgian-Victorian English sterling silver tableware spoons (c. 1790 – c. 1850)

• 

  Spoon-feeding

• 

  The stages of the handforging process

• 

  Wooden spoon carving steps

• 

  Spoon engraved in reindeer antler, Magdalenian c. 17,000 – c. 12,000 BCE

• 

  Bronze spoon, Shang dynasty

• 

  Roman spoons from the Hoxne hoard, c. 4-5th century CE

• 

  Jade spoon, Mughal dynasty, India

• 

  Wooden spoon found on board the 16th century carrack Mary Rose

• 

  Native American Yurok spoons, 19th century

• 

  Achaemenid spoon (400 BC)

• 

  Spoon with special tip for kiwifruits or melons

• 

  Spoons for salad

• 

  Cold breakfast cereal held in a dessert spoon

See also

In Spanish: Cuchara para niños