We prepare simple whole food meals and snacks that nourish the children during the day, as well as helping them to develop healthy eating habits to maintain proper weight and ward off chronic diseases later in life.
WeeSprouts!
WeeSprouts is a program developed in winter 2012 in an attempt to answer the question, “How do we get kids to eat more fresh vegetables?” In this program, we started setting out bowls of fresh cut vegetables for the preschool children to consume at their leisure anytime throughout the day and the children were allowed to eat as many vegetables as they wanted!
We found the answer to our question. Children will happily consume a variety of raw vegetables if they are available in the absence of other food choices. So, WeeSprouts have become part of our classroom culture where preschoolers meet at the kitchen island for a chat with friends while sipping water and munching on some fresh cut vegetables. This is how we want our kids to view healthy foods.
Our infant toddler classroom offers a mid-morning snack of cooked vegetables or fresh vegetables each day.
“Children naturally love natural foods. Their genetic makeup is designed to consume nature’s bounty without any coaxing or effort; they naturally love fruits and vegetables.“ Dr. Joel Fuhrman
Other parts of our nutrition education include:
- Teaching the children the difference between processed foods that are filled with unnatural ingredients, preservatives, and sugars and healthy foods that fill our plate at school.
- Daily emphasis on how the healthy foods we eat benefit our bodies.
- Learning how to grow vegetables in the summer and eating freshly picked vegetables for meals and snacks…often eating them right off the vine!
- Family style serving of meals to encourage children to be independent in making good food choices and portion sizes.
- Child participation in the preparation, serving, and clean-up of meals.
Nutrition References:
Campbell, T. Colin. 2006. The China Study Demas, Antonia. 2001. Food is Elementary. Fuhrman, Joel. 2005. Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right. Robbins, John. 2001. The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World.