Parents always caution their kids to not play with their food, and here we seem to be doing the exact opposite. Well, please be reassured that kids are not being encouraged to throw food around. This is actually aimed at getting kids to explore the food they eat.
Well, if there is such a disconnect it does not bode well for the kids, or their parents and caretakers. Kids need to know where their food comes from so that their place in nature's life-cycle is understood by them. Kids need to understand the interconnectedness of life, the dependence and the beauty of how things fit in real life. This helps kids stay rooted to the reality of life. Without food we die. If we know how our food reaches out plates, we at least arm kids with enough knowledge to go looking for more information. The bond between humans and food is ancient and changing. Hunting might have been one of the earliest professions, but then agriculture became a dominant profession which over time became something in which the entire family was involved. Historically, food has been the platform from which many other professions have spun out of.
Playing Games
Kids learn very well when they learn via play. Here are three important traits kids develop with play. There's a reason why parents encourage kids educational games in this digital world that we live in. When games are leveled, they actually play the same game and up the levels gradually. If we can get kids to play with the same enthusiasm in the real world, they can actually touch and feel as they learn.
Here are a three games kids can play:
1. Blow them away
Halloween's around the corner. Involve the kids in picking and carrying home a pumpkin. Once it's cut, get the kids to scoop out the seeds and dry it. Make sure no stringy stuff is attached. When you have a nicely dried pile which can fill an adult's cupped palms, all's ready for the game.
Get the kids to sit around a smooth surface, say a table top. Clear up the space. Pile up the seeds in the center. A kid blows on it and picks up seeds until they disturb a neighboring seed, which is when the next player gets a turn to do the same. The winner is one who can collect the biggest pile as the central pile disappears.
Not only does this improve the child's motor skills, it also helps the kids understand how plants grow their seeds, where they keep them and how they disperse. The more parents and caretakers talk about the vegetable/fruit they are dealing with, the more the kid absorbs. E.g., In this game kids can actually understand how drying seeds make them lighter and how blowing on them can disperse the seeds.
2. String them up
Pile up a bunch of beans in the center of a table. Divide the pile between the players. Teach everyone how to string beans. Get the kids to string it from one end only. Make sure it stays attached. Hold up the string and see how a flimsy fiber can hold up the entire bean. The game is string them at one end. Then gently use the fiber of one to tie it to the other. Keep doing this and holding it up. Whoever has the maximum number of beans on the first strung bean, is the winner. If there's a tie, the players add more beans and the winner is one who has the most hanging together.
This helps kids understand how strong fiber can be. While playing this game, the players can discuss the varieties of beans, how seeds grow inside and even about the varieties where the seeds can be eaten, but the seed pod has to be discarded.
3. Pile Them High
How high can you pile okra? Keep adding to the stack to make a high pile. Alternatively divide the okra and ask the players to pile them up. By playing with okra, kids can explore their interesting structure and texture.
As you play with the kids, they themselves come up with ideas to explore other fruits and vegetables. It's great fun to explore the well packed pomegranate, the beautiful colors of the citrus fruits, the color of the beets and the long shelf life of the potatoes. While these games are played, a lot is learnt by kids which we do not actually teach; like the smells, the oxidation, the slime etc. Go on, let the kids play with their food.
Why is it important to know food
There's an old joke about a child being asked if he knew where the milk he was drinking came from. The child nodded vigorously and said it came out of a box!Well, if there is such a disconnect it does not bode well for the kids, or their parents and caretakers. Kids need to know where their food comes from so that their place in nature's life-cycle is understood by them. Kids need to understand the interconnectedness of life, the dependence and the beauty of how things fit in real life. This helps kids stay rooted to the reality of life. Without food we die. If we know how our food reaches out plates, we at least arm kids with enough knowledge to go looking for more information. The bond between humans and food is ancient and changing. Hunting might have been one of the earliest professions, but then agriculture became a dominant profession which over time became something in which the entire family was involved. Historically, food has been the platform from which many other professions have spun out of.
Playing Games
Kids learn very well when they learn via play. Here are three important traits kids develop with play. There's a reason why parents encourage kids educational games in this digital world that we live in. When games are leveled, they actually play the same game and up the levels gradually. If we can get kids to play with the same enthusiasm in the real world, they can actually touch and feel as they learn.
Here are a three games kids can play:
1. Blow them away
Halloween's around the corner. Involve the kids in picking and carrying home a pumpkin. Once it's cut, get the kids to scoop out the seeds and dry it. Make sure no stringy stuff is attached. When you have a nicely dried pile which can fill an adult's cupped palms, all's ready for the game.
Get the kids to sit around a smooth surface, say a table top. Clear up the space. Pile up the seeds in the center. A kid blows on it and picks up seeds until they disturb a neighboring seed, which is when the next player gets a turn to do the same. The winner is one who can collect the biggest pile as the central pile disappears.
Not only does this improve the child's motor skills, it also helps the kids understand how plants grow their seeds, where they keep them and how they disperse. The more parents and caretakers talk about the vegetable/fruit they are dealing with, the more the kid absorbs. E.g., In this game kids can actually understand how drying seeds make them lighter and how blowing on them can disperse the seeds.
2. String them up
Pile up a bunch of beans in the center of a table. Divide the pile between the players. Teach everyone how to string beans. Get the kids to string it from one end only. Make sure it stays attached. Hold up the string and see how a flimsy fiber can hold up the entire bean. The game is string them at one end. Then gently use the fiber of one to tie it to the other. Keep doing this and holding it up. Whoever has the maximum number of beans on the first strung bean, is the winner. If there's a tie, the players add more beans and the winner is one who has the most hanging together.
This helps kids understand how strong fiber can be. While playing this game, the players can discuss the varieties of beans, how seeds grow inside and even about the varieties where the seeds can be eaten, but the seed pod has to be discarded.
3. Pile Them High
How high can you pile okra? Keep adding to the stack to make a high pile. Alternatively divide the okra and ask the players to pile them up. By playing with okra, kids can explore their interesting structure and texture.
As you play with the kids, they themselves come up with ideas to explore other fruits and vegetables. It's great fun to explore the well packed pomegranate, the beautiful colors of the citrus fruits, the color of the beets and the long shelf life of the potatoes. While these games are played, a lot is learnt by kids which we do not actually teach; like the smells, the oxidation, the slime etc. Go on, let the kids play with their food.
