Sharing information about nutrition and food can be more than simply handing out fliers. Conversations with families at drop-off or pickup times, along with daily photo boards or simple tasting journals, show families how their children are learning about new foods. At the same time, families can share their own recipes or favorite new foods from home( see“ Intentionally Engaging with Families Through Farm to Early Care and Education” on this page). This back-and-forth helps make sure that the health habits children are learning at school become a part of their life at home too.
These connections can also extend into other parts of the curriculum, including science, where children might chart their observations of growing bean plants. Educators can encourage families to ask questions about what the children noticed since the day before or about how long it took for the plant to grow from seed to sprout.
To bring the experience full circle, educators can host a tasting activity using different varieties of beans, such as crisp sugar snap peas or long green beans. Documenting the tasting with photos and short notes about which textures or flavors the children enjoyed invites families to share the experience. This not only highlights the children’ s scientific discoveries but also illustrates for families the food their children might be excited to try again at home. Educators can offer materials and books( we recommend the public library as a great resource!) to help children see more diversity in food, nutrition, and farming.
Intentionally Engaging with Families Through Farm to Early Care and Education
It’ s important to consider children’ s and families’ funds of knowledge as related to food and agriculture. Family members may work on farms, in food processing facilities, or in food service jobs. Asking children to engage in activities around food should not feel like labor. Intentional early childhood educators involve children in food activities in affirming ways. They can use farm to early care and education to help think about how to partner with families in their settings. For example, teachers can
› Ensure that materials about food are inclusive of all families
› Talk about foods and recipes that are important to families, and include them in the menu
› Ask families to share their food traditions and talk about those traditions with the children to help them learn about other cultures
› Review menus to make sure they include foods that represent cultures and communities connected to all the families in their care
› Share photos and captions that document children engaging in hands-on gardening or exploring fresh produce as they learn about nutrition
› Evaluate the accessibility of food-centered activities( like farm tours or nutrition activities) to be sure every family can participate in building a community culture of wellness
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