As part of our Little Pioneers Healthy Living and Wellbeing programme, we are teaching our children about where their food comes from with a variety of fun and educational activities. These are all created in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.
Grow your own
All of our nurseries have designated growing areas with features such as potato planters, composters and raised veg beds. We are partnered with Rocket Gardens, a plant supplier for all things organic, and twice a year our nurseries receive a box full of veg plants and a full growing guide. Our children really enjoy taking part in planting and developing green fingers!
We even use incubators to show eggs hatching into chicks to help our children also learn about lifecycles.
Games and puzzles
All of our pre-schoolers have access to tablets featuring educational programmes such as ‘Growing Things’ which covers plants and produce, videos about visiting the garden centre and the greengrocers, and interactive puzzles. ‘Simple City’ is another favourite, featuring different shops and buildings, including the garden centre where plants can be planted, watered and grown. There are even bugs and predators to watch out for!
A day on the farm
We run trips to local farms, markets and bakeries to teach our children about different types of food and where they come from. It’s a fun way to find out about farm animals, crops and different kinds of fruit and veg. And when we’re back in the nursery, the children can use their imaginations to act out related scenes. One mud pie please!
Making healthy choices
So why is it so important for nursery children to learn about where food comes from and making healthy choices?
Sugar
Children are having over 2 times more sugar than they should.
Too much sugar can lead to build up of harmful fat on the inside that we can’t see. This fat can cause serious diseases like type 2 diabetes.
Saturated Fat
There’s a surprising amount of saturated fat in everyday foods like cheese and butter.
Too much saturated fat can cause serious diseases in the future such as heart disease. It is also more likely to make us overweight.
Salt
Three quarters of the salt we’re eating is already in the food we buy.
Too much salt puts children at risk of high blood pressure later in life.
Ready, steady, cook
We offer hands-on cooking activities to get our children excited about their food and develop skills such as simple maths, coordination and teamwork. Watch our Little Pioneers make soup using their own vegetables!
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Eco-Schools
Our Eco-Schools work is just one part of our much wider Healthy Living and Wellbeing programme, which is developing the work we already do to ensure your children are as healthy and happy as possible.