FOOD PLAY 2017 Preschoolers By: Elizabeth Hardee & Bates McKinney

Why Is Food Play Important? Childhood Obesity is affecting 28% of 1st graders; 35.1% of 3rd graders & 37.7% of 5th graders in Spartanburg County. This is an unfortunate trend across the nation. In an effort to decrease this trend we feel programs should educate participants about making healthy food choices starting as early as possible. Nutrition education has to be fun, engage participants in a variety of ways & involve parents whenever possible. Proper training about healthy snacks & drinks. We use “My Plate” USDA Guidelines to teach the basics because there are a lot of free & resources.

HOW Do We Teach Nutrition Education? Eating Habits of Preschoolers : Preschoolers have very specific ideas about foods and how and when they want to eat. Families and preschool staffs should recognize and respect the food behaviors of each child. Young children should be guided by adults to explore new foods in an environment that promotes social development. • Preschool children generally prefer mildly flavored foods. Spicy or strong flavored foods are an acquired taste. • Simple foods that are low or moderate in sugars and fats teach healthful food choices. • Overcooked vegetables are frequently disliked. • Most young children like raw vegetables but make sure to cut up into small pieces. • Fruits are liked either raw or cooked but cut into small pieces they can self feed. • Meats and chicken are favorite foods. • As children get older, they develop definite preferences for familiar foods, making exposure to a variety of foods and flavors at the preschool age important. • Many preschoolers’ diets are low in vitamins A, C, and iron. • Offering a variety of foods ensures children get the nutrients they need. • Children can decide how much food they want to eat each day. • Caregivers can support children by honoring a child’s feelings of hungry and full. • Young children should be exposed to new foods at a minimum of 11 times before deciding if they like or dislike a new food. Nutrition Education Curriculum Goals Nutrition education lessons help children to: • Enjoy a variety of healthful foods • Learn about hand-washing & table manners. • Learn about new foods in a fun and exciting way • Understand their feelings of hunger and fullness • Learn ways to group and describe foods • Learn to refuse food politely

How Do We Teach Age Appropriate Nutrition Education? Best Practices for teaching 4 years olds: Utilize research-based curriculum as often as possible. We utilize Color Me Healthy & Eat Smart Move More Grow Healthy Toolkit. It’s inexpensive & research based!! Positive, nurturing relationships with adults who engage in responsive conversations with individual children, model reading and writing behavior, and foster children's interest in and enjoyment of reading and writing Print-rich environments that provide opportunities and tools for children to see and use written language for a variety of purposes, with teachers drawing children's attention to specific letters and words. Use food group words. Adults' daily reading of high-quality books to individual children or small groups, including books that positively reflect children's identity, home language, and culture. Get books that talk about food groups & tell stories about trying food. Opportunities for children to talk about what is read and to focus on the sounds and parts of language as well as the meaning. Ask questions about favorite foods. Teaching strategies and experiences that develop phonemic awareness, such as songs, fingerplays, games, poems, and stories in which phonemic patterns such as rhyme and alliteration are salient, while using nutrition based themes. Opportunities to engage in play that incorporates literacy tools, such as writing grocery lists, dramatic play, making signs in a super market, and using icons and words in exploring a computer games that teach nutrition education. Firsthand experiences that expand children's vocabulary, such as trips in the community grocery store, a farm, or farmers market and exposure to various tools, objects, and materials.

How Do We Teach Nutrition Education & Make It Fun First don’t call it “Nutrition Education” instead call it, “Food Play”…”Nuts About Nutrition” or anything catchy. Arts/Crafts…great idea is food crafts Relay Races Visual Aids/Posters “Cooking” Classes Games Physical Activities Plays/Skits Online computer games Traditional lesson plans

Visual Play Great examples of using visual play to teach nutrition are posters; fake food, picture-find games, grocery shopping centers, kitchen centers with pictures & real visual aids. Often these activities are done in solitary as a seated learning activity, especially as children reach 4 years old, they can tolerate more independent learning activities. Introduce the food item by showing them a picture, read about it in a book that has a lot of graphics and have the children share what they know about the particular food item. This works best if you have actual food they can hold, touch, smell & even taste. Pair this up with lots of auditory stimulus to be the most effective. Activities for teaching 4 year olds: My Plate Activity Sheets Healthy Snacks versus Junk Food Fruit Basket Craft Mother Hubbard’s Cupboards collage All the Colors of the Supermarket Finger Painting on nutrition activity sheets using fruits & vegetables Johnny Appleseed Finger Paint Tree

Auditory Play Songs about Nutrition Musical Chairs Hot Potato Hot Potato (Switch it up to “Freezing Broccoli,” “Freezing Tangerine” or whatever food you are introducing.) Have kids make up a song about what they have learned based off of My Plate. Activities for teaching 4 years olds: Carrots, Peas, and Broccoli, (Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) Vegetables are good for me. For my snack and in my lunch, Veggie sticks are great to munch. Carrots, Peas, and Broccoli, Vegetables are good for me. Carrots, Peas, and Broccoli. Read books like, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

Kinesthetic Play Getting the kids up & moving is huge when teaching about nutrition because it is doubling as a fitness exercise while teaching about nutrition. Also, young kids want to touch things and our job is to involve as many of their senses that we can while teaching. Activities for teaching 4 years olds: Toss the Protein, Veggie Toss, Fruit Toss Hand Washing Station Fruit & Veggie Exercises Cooking classes Fruit Basket Turn Over with Musical Chairs Arthur’s Café-Open-Face Sandwiches

Get Moving!! Model The most important thing you can do is make nutrition education FUN!! Engage Diversify Be Creative Teach

Classroom Wrap-Up Q&A Survey Thank You!!