Our first Food Share meal consisted of bagels with peanut butter spread on them, green beans, bananas, and milk- meeting the dietary recomendations for a bread, protien, fruit, vegetable, and dairy for an infant or toddler's lunch. This was so simple to prepare! The most time consuming part was spreading some PB on the bagels, and I was able to do that in a matter of minutes before we went outside today. As you can see below, the food was served in serving bowls- this is a part of the "Family Style" dining common in some early childhood programs, like Montessori.
Part of family style dining is having the kids all sit around the table together, with plates and serving bowls. Our 15-month-olds are all at the table here together, and the 12-month olds are near by in high chairs. By the time we get to the Toddler classroom, we'll all be at the table together.
The kids began each course with one another. First we passed around the dish of bagels, each child taking their own from the dish. With everyone eating the same thing, there were no picky eaters! And everyone ate what was on their plate! We all started out with the same portion, and if a child wanted more (which the older ones indicated with the signs they have learned), they were welcome to take seconds from the bowl. Here we are sharing the bananas. Just look how easy it is! Just think about what the kids are learning about sharing!
When we were finished eating, Boone even helped me clear the table by handing me the empty plates that were left over. This is part of the family style dining experience too. As the kids move into the Toddler room they will be able to learn self-help skills from Food Share by helping to set the table, or helping to clean up afterwards. Some simple cooking experiences like mashing up potatoes could be a part of this too.
Thanks to all the parents- everyone brought it the groceries you signed up for and now we're set for the week! I am very excited about this, the kids seem to love it- they've never eaten better!
