Objective:
Children will learn about healthy eating by exploring a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables while developing fine motor skills and food awareness.
NQS Link:
- Quality Area 2: Children’s Health and Safety
- Quality Area 3: Physical Environment
- Quality Area 5: Relationships with Children
Materials:
- A selection of colourful fruits and vegetables (e.g., red capsicum, cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, spinach, corn, blueberries)
- Child-safe cutting tools
- Bowls and serving trays
- Salad dressing options (e.g., yogurt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar)
- Printable food group chart
- Small plates and utensils
Steps:
- Introduction (5 minutes)
- Discuss the importance of eating a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables.
- Show a chart of different food groups and explain how each colour helps our bodies in different ways (e.g., orange for eyesight, green for strong bones).
- Preparation (10 minutes)
- Wash hands together and discuss why hygiene is important when preparing food.
- Display the ingredients and encourage children to identify the colours and names of each fruit and vegetable.
- Creating the Salad (15 minutes)
- Let children choose their favourite colourful ingredients to create a “rainbow salad.”
- Assist with cutting and peeling while encouraging children to try different textures and flavours.
- Guide them to arrange the ingredients on their plates by colour, creating a rainbow pattern.
- Taste and Share (10 minutes)
- Gather in a circle and discuss what ingredients they chose and why.
- Allow each child to try a bite and describe the taste (sweet, sour, crunchy).
- Discuss how eating a “rainbow” of foods helps keep our bodies healthy and strong.
- Reflection (5 minutes)
- Talk about what they liked or didn’t like.
- Encourage them to share their favourite healthy foods from home.