Offer opportunities for children to participate in food preparation and procurement It is good for children to be involved in the preparation and procurement or obtaining of food so they can learn more about it and understand where it comes from. By involving children in the preparation of food they are building a familiarity with the different foods and as they are working, for example cutting or peeling vegetables, we can be talking about the benefits and characteristics of the vegetables. I remember doing an activity with city-born four year olds, where we squeezed oranges for juice. This turned out to be way outside their experience, as they had never seen a liquid come from anything except a bottle, carton or tap. This experience inspired much conversation about fruit and juices and how it is healthy for our bodies. We then had a mini-excursion to the shops and looked at all the fruit and vegetables we could buy and discussed what we could make with them to eat. We found the children involved in these experiences were quite willing to try the fruits and vegetables and what we made even if it was just a taste! Even so it is widening their exposure to different foods, flavours and the concept of healthy foods. Excursion to Tickleberry Farm Read this story of a carer and children who begin with growing vegetables themselves, and then take a trip to a farm, where they could see how farmers do things. The journey to Tickleberry Farm began when the children and Alison, the carer, were creating a vegetable garden for the outdoor play space. The children decided to plant vegetable seeds including tomatoes, potatoes, onions, broccoli, zucchini, strawberries and carrots. They tended and nurtured the vegetables as they grew. They talked about how much water they need to grow, they removed any weeds, they overturned the soil, and they discussed what they could do with the vegetables once they were ready for picking. As the vegetables grew over the weeks, the excitement surrounding their delicious creations intensified and when the time came for picking, the children were overcome with joy.
Offer opportunities for children to participate in food preparation and procurement It is good for children to be involved in the preparation and procurement or obtaining of food so they can learn more about it and understand where it comes from. By involving children in the preparation of food they are building a familiarity with the different foods and as they are working, for example cutting or peeling vegetables, we can be talking about the benefits and characteristics of the vegetables. I remember doing an activity with city-born four year olds, where we squeezed oranges for juice. This turned out to be way outside their experience, as they had never seen a liquid come from anything except a bottle, carton or tap. This experience inspired much conversation about fruit and juices and how it is healthy for our bodies. We then had a mini-excursion to the shops and looked at all the fruit and vegetables we could buy and discussed what we could make with them to eat. We found the children involved in these experiences were quite willing to try the fruits and vegetables and what we made even if it was just a taste! Even so it is widening their exposure to different foods, flavours and the concept of healthy foods. Excursion to Tickleberry Farm Read this story of a carer and children who begin with growing vegetables themselves, and then take a trip to a farm, where they could see how farmers do things. The journey to Tickleberry Farm began when the children and Alison, the carer, were creating a vegetable garden for the outdoor play space. The children decided to plant vegetable seeds including tomatoes, potatoes, onions, broccoli, zucchini, strawberries and carrots. They tended and nurtured the vegetables as they grew. They talked about how much water they need to grow, they removed any weeds, they overturned the soil, and they discussed what they could do with the vegetables once they were ready for picking. As the vegetables grew over the weeks, the excitement surrounding their delicious creations intensified and when the time came for picking, the children were overcome with joy.
9198_readings.docx