Humphrey the hamster is SAD SAD SAD. His beloved Ms. Mac has left for Brazil… without him. Luckily, Humphrey has plenty to keep him busy, like helping his human classmates through sticky situations and navigating their personal struggles and learning more about himself along the way. After all, you can learn a lot about yourself by getting to know another species. If you love hamsters as much as we’ve grown to love Humphrey in this book, the World According to Humphrey, you’re going to love this Hamster Food Smoothie! It’s a smoothie for humans, but every ingredient in it is a hamster-safe treat*. Don’t worry, it tastes delicious, even for humans. Humans and hamsters have quite a bit in common, after all.
Our entire town loves Humphrey. No, I’m not joking… the whole town. The people who work at City Hall love Humphrey. The people who work at the bank love Humphrey. The people who work at the grocery store love Humphrey. The whole entire town loves Humphrey the hamster. You see, our town decided to have an awesome initiative– the whole town is reading the book. Our school district is reading it, and even though my son is homeschooled, we’ve decided to read the book together, too. There’s mystery in the book, there’s romance, there’s a little bit of worry that Humphrey won’t get to stay with the students he loves so much… but the whole thing is just fantastic.
But as characters fed Humphrey treats like bits of carrots and apples and cauliflower, I had to wonder what Hamsters actually eat. It seemed, after all, that they ate a lot of the same things as humans did (as treats, anyway). It turns out hamsters DO eat many of the same things we do, from yogurt (plain only for the hamsters, even if your favorite kind has a flavor), muesli, cucumbers, and peaches! All of these are tasty treats, and as a result, we decided to make yummy Hamster Food Smoothies to go along with our reading of the book.
To make a Hamster Food Smoothie, you’ll want to start by peeling all of the ingredients– cucumbers, bananas, pears, peaches, and carrots– that need peeling.
You will also want to remove any pits and seeds and dice the fruits into small pieces to make it easier for the blender to handle. Of course, a diced piece of fruit is also a really nice treat for a hamster in small quantities, so if you sneak a piece or two for your favorite hamster, it won’t impact the smoothie’s taste too much.
Because many fruits, like peaches and bananas, are soft enough to be cut with a butter knife, you can even leave those fruits for your child to cut! It is a great way to practice fine motor skills and it gets them involved in the cooking process! You may way to save harder items, like carrots, for yourself to cut with a very sharp knife.
You’ll want to layer all of your fruits, vegetables, and muesli into a blender. You’ll also want to add in some greek yogurt (vanilla helps add a little natural sweetness, but remember, your hamster should only eat plain yogurt, so if you’re using vanilla yogurt, please don’t share the smoothie or yogurt with your furry friend!) and milk. You can substitute your favorite dairy-free milk or dairy-free yogurt substitute in this recipe with no problems!
Once everything is in the blender, puree your smoothie until it is totally smooth and eve the hardest fruits and veggies will go through a straw with ease!
Top your smoothie with a little bit of muesli, then enjoy while you read another chapter of The World According to Humphrey. After all, we’re all just dying to find out if Mrs. Brisbane is going to get rid of Humphrey for good, aren’t we?! Yikes!
These smoothies are so easy to make that they’ll be a great accompaniment to any book in the World According to Humphrey series. I know I can’t wait to find out how the book ends, and I can’t wait to see the adventures that Humphrey takes next. The way he has helped his human classmates so far has been a real treat, and this smoothie is quite the treat, too.
Hamster Food Smoothies Recipe
- 1 peach
- 2 pears
- 1/3 cucumber
- 1 banana
- 1 carrot
- 1/4 C muesli + more for topping
- 2 C milk
- 1 container (5.3 oz) vanilla Greek yogurt
- Peel all fruits and vegetables.
- Dice fruits and vegetables into small pieces.
- Place all items in a blender and blend.
- Top with additional Muesli and serve immediately.
- Kids can cut softer foods like bananas and pears with a butter knife with supervision. Adults should cut harder foods like carrots with a sharp knife.
- While all of the foods in this smoothie are hamster-safe, please check with your veterinarian before serving the smoothie or ingredients to your hamster. These foods should only be given to hamsters in small quantities due to high sugar content. Hamsters should only have plain yogurt, rather than vanilla yogurt, as vanilla yogurt contains too much sugar and can be harmful to hamsters.
- This is a human food smoothie made from foods hamsters love, too, but is intended for humans to consume unless you've checked with a veterinarian.
Have you read The World According to Humphrey?
Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to tell me what YOU think of this hamster food smoothie! Are you brave enough to drink hamster food? (Trust me, it tastes great!)
The World According to Humphrey Resources
Below are some awesome resources for The World According to Humphrey so you can take your study even further! Some of the links below may be affiliate links. These are provided for your convenience. At no cost to you, the sales from these affiliate links give a portion of the proceeds to MamaPlusOne to help support the site. MamaPlusOne is a participant in the Amazon Affiliates Program.
More Humphrey Fun!
Cute Stuffed Hamster to Read Aloud To!
How to Make an Origami Hamster
DIY Hamster House from Popsicle Sticks
Humphreyville on the Official Betty G. Birney website (this site has auto-playing audio when you visit it, just a heads-up!)
Discussion Questions and Activities for The World According to Humphrey series
The World According to Humphrey Series
Here is the full series of The World According to Humphrey so far, in series order, so you won’t miss a book! From friendships to secrets, there are so many more great Humphrey stories to read.
The World According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #1)
Friendship According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #2)
Trouble According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #3)
Surprises According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #4)
Adventure According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #5)
Summer According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #6)
School Days According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #7)
Mysteries According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #8)
Winter According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #9)
Secrets According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #10)
Imagination According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #11)
Spring According to Humphrey (Humphrey Series #12)
Humphrey’s Book of FUN-FUN-FUN (Companion)
Humphrey’s HA-HA-HA Joke Book (Companion)
Humphrey’s World of Pets (Companion)
Humphrey’s Tiny Tales
If you have an older child who loves Humphrey but your youngest isn’t quite ready yet, or if you’re reading Humphrey together and need the perfect shorter chapter book for your child to read independently, Humphrey’s Tiny Tales are perfect! These bite-sized reads with about half the pages are great for kids to read on their own as a companion, or as a great introduction to America’s favorite classroom pet!
If you’re from my generation, think of these as the Babysitter’s Club “Little Sister” series as compared to the main series, or the Sweet Valley Kids or Sweet Valley Twins compared to the Sweet Valley High series… a slightly younger twist on the same characters you love.
Humphrey’s Really Wheely Racing Day
Humphrey’s Playful Puppy Problem
Humphrey’s Creepy-Crawly Camping Adventure
Humphrey’s School Fair Surprise
Humphrey’s Mixed-Up Magic Trick
Humphrey’s Treasure Hunt Trouble
More Reading Resources for your Elementary Readers
10 Can’t-Miss Books for Spring
7 Delightful Valentine’s Books for Kids
14 (MORE!) Valentine’s Books for Kids
My Son is Learning to Read because of Minecraft
Help Kids to P.I.C.K the Right Book from Scholastic
Selecting Books for Your Child: How to Choose a “Just Right” Book from Reading Rockets
More Yummy Smoothie Recipes
Kids in the Kitchen Tropical Smoothie for Kids
Chocolate Banana Smoothie Bowl
4 Smoothie Bowls to Kick Afternoon Slump
Pineapple and Kiwiberry Protein Smoothie from Pint Sized Baker
Tropical Green Smoothie from Clarks Condensed
What a great idea! I know our town is loving reading this book now to have a drink to show the kids the healthy way hamsters eat. They can be just like their favorite character Humphrey! Thanks for sharing this. I know alot of kids are going to enjoy this activity.