Empty lunchbox week
An initiative to get us thinking about
nutritious and healthy food
to nourish body, mind and soul.
What an exciting week it's been this week, arriving with empty lunchboxes to then fill them with deliciously healthy food at kindergarten!
Every day some new taste sensation to try...new textures to explore and healthy food to enjoy in the company of good friends. It really has been a feast for all the senses!
Tuesday's menu - Chicken, quiche, boiled eggs, pasta, bliss balls, cheese, crackers, gherkins, celery, capsicum, hummus, popcorn, apple, banana, rockmelon, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, brocolli, tomatoes, dried apricots, raisins, cranberries
A healthy option is popcorn and this sure has been a popular choice for tamariki.
Blueberries are delicious this time of the year.
Using small tweezers to transport one blueberry at a time to the lunchbox is well worth the effort as far as Bodhi is concerned! And great for hand eye co-ordination too...it's a win win situation!
For Liam it's all about cheese and crackers. The tweezer method works a treat in this situation too!
Parents and teachers were there to offer assistance, encouragement and support for tamariki to make healthy choices for their lunchbox. When everything on the table is a healthy option it's not hard to be successful. That's what we call setting children up for success!
There were times when children didn't need any help and enjoyed the independence of doing things for themselves.
We believe children are capable and competent; we trust children and therefore are mindful to extend opportunities for children to experience independence at their own level and in their own time.
Green day
Midweek was a time to test boundaries, shake things up a bit and challenge children to try new things. We did this by making food selections 'green'.
"Green day was a little bit fun"
"It was fun"
"I had green apples"
"It was good, I had the green pear and apple"
"Brocolli was all yum"
"I had some of those green leaves, they taste a little bit...well they taste a little bit plain"
Did that surprise you?
"Yes cause my Mum told me they would taste sour" said Trelise.
"Potatoe was yummy."
"My favourite food was the bean, also the potatoe cause it tasted yummy stuff."
"The dragons tail [asparagus], was a little bit sweet."
"Like when we ate the peas and beans they tasted yummy."
"I think my favourite was the food that was crunchy."
"My favourite was the egg, the muffins and the peas."
Even little sisters are keen to get in on the action and try some healthy kai!
To encourage children to try new food we put a little bit of fun and laughter into the situation. This was achieved through 'Bean and Dragon Tail Races'.
The fastest one to nibble their way to the end of the vegetable in their mouth was decleared the winner...of course to stop children using their hands to push the food in their mouths, the players were encouraged to sit on their hands which some contestents found hard to do!
If you're wondering, dragon tails are of course, asparagus.
Funily enough, most children declared themselves the winner!
"You suck the bean and then you eat the bean. It taste like beanie. I was the winner!"
Introducing a wide range of healthy options for children to choose was interesting. Some tamariki were fearless in their selection and willing to try anything new, while others needed a bit of coaxing.
Often children became brave as they saw their friends accept the challenge to taste test new food. Many children were surprised that they did indeed enjoy new food once they tried it...this is when we noticed children going back for seconds and sometimes even thirds!
Three out of these four children loved broccoli and the other did not, can you guess who?
Feel the fear and do it anyway!
Special mention to those children who took on the challenge of trying something new. As it turns out, cucumber is just not their thing!
Good on you for trying though!
Thursday's menu - raisins, mandarins, blueberries, strawberries, weetbix bites, yoghurt, melon, banana, brocolli, cauliflower, apple, carrot, celery, tomatoes, hummus, muffin split pizza, bliss balls, popcorn, eggs, potatoe salad, pita pocket toasties
"Ooo carrots" said Rene.
"Because that makes you strong and it makes you into a grown up. When you're grown up you can be anything you want like a vet, or a shop keeper or a crystal shop keeper who sells crystals" said Paua.
"So it can give us strong muscles" said Isla.
"Because it keeps your teeth healthy. Healthy food makes your tummy feel good and your lungs feel good. Pineapple, apple, pear, onions, tomatoes, oranges, mandarins, bananas, honey are healthy. Some people in China and India eat different food" said Ryan.
"Because it's so healthy and strong for your body" said Torben.
"If you eat donuts and lollies it makes your teeth rotton" said Kace.
"Cause it makes you strong" said Otis.
"To make us tall" said Joe.
"Because we love food" said Vann.
Red day
We ended the week with a splash of colour...everything red. So pretty!
Friday's menu - salami and cheese sticks, ham, cheese and red cabbage roll ups, kumara chips, beetroot rosini, jam pikelets, raspberry muffins, red grapes, cherries, pomegranate, strawberries, beetroot hummus, nectarines, red apples, roasted eggplant, red capsicum, shredded red cabbage, kidney beans, cranberries
Parents day off
Most of the week we'd noticed how the children loved to fill their own lunch boxes. Today we gave parents a day off...our goal was to ensure children had an opportunity to choose the kai that most appealed to them at the start of the day. They did a very good job and it must have been yummy because there was no food left at the end of the day.
Waiting patiently for a turn.
What an amazing week!
So much learning and we had a blast!
Until next time,
Ngā mihi nui
Tania
