Today, I had the fun experience of being a "Community Helper" at a local daycare. I just adore seeing kiddos that young soak in knowledge, ask the BEST questions, and say the funniest things.
The kiddos came to the presentation area (a cute little rug with mini chairs and a short table) in single file lines and listening to their teachers. The kiddos sat "criss-cross applesauce" on the edge of the rug, instructed their teacher. In the first group, one little boy sat down, then proceeded to scoot while sitting all the way to me until he was about 2 inches from my face (ha!) He was eager to get started.
As a community helper, I shared with the kiddos that I was a dietitian, and in the most simplistic way, shared that I talked to people about food. We started off with naming what our favorite foods were. "Mac and cheese", "apples", "cake", chicken and French fries", "yogurt!" I made sure to make positive comments about all the foods that the kiddos shared were their favorite foods, because we want to reinforce at a young age that all foods have a place in out diets. "Yum!", "those are tasty!", "that sounds good", and "that's a good one!", to help the kiddos feel reassured those are great foods to eat. And then one little boy went rogue, and share shot his hand up in the air and said "My favorite food is a unicorn!" (Lol!) and a little girl shared "I have a cherry tree and my mom gets mad when I take the cherries from the tree".
Next, we did a little show and tell with some fruits and vegetables. We talked about what color they were, were they a fruit or vegetable, how they are grown and how you can prepare them. The celery definitely stumped a few of the kiddos. "Asparagus?" guessed one little guy. "Oh, close, it's the same color as asparagus AND it's a vegetable". One little girl said "I don't like celery, it's disgusting". "Oh, that's ok, you don't have to like every food" I replied, "but we can respect those who do like it by saying, 'It's not my favorite'".
Then, we engaged in a sensory activity where we used the fruits and vegetables to make fun, sensory stamps! They used a bell pepper, apple and celery base to stamp them on paper. "This is fun, I've never done this before" a little boy shared.
The world is a blank slate for these kiddos. Their brains are growing and they are absorbing every little thing along the way. One word of advice I have for anyone who spends time with young children is to be mindful of what you say about the food you are eating and the food others are eating. Use neutral language and avoid saying negative comments. They are so curious and genuinely intrigued to learn, and they pick up every comment, interaction, and non-verbal. I loved working with kiddos and sharing with them little bits of knowledge that I hope will help them to have a fulfilled relationship with food today, tomorrow and every day there after.
*Photos were approved by the daycare to be posted on social media!
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