Meal time has always been a work in progress at Inch By Inch. It is a very important part of our day. We have two snacks together and lunch. We have tried different styles of serving and presentation. Currently our children use ceramic plates, glass cups and glass pitchers. Most of the time the children serve their own water, but teachers serve the food. We have tried passing food around the table family style, but have struggled with making it work.
Lunch at Inch By Inch
When I attended Play Iceland recently I was able to see two different types of meal presentation. Both were lovely and inspired me to keep experimenting. It has encouraged me to look more closely at other ways to allow the children more independence during meal time.
Lunch at Leikskólinn Stekkjarás
Both of our tours took place mostly in the morning. We were able to see the set up at the first playschool, but didn't actually see the lunch in progress. I loved the place settings at Stekkjaras, especially the food carts and serving dishes. We were told that in most of the classrooms, the children serve themselves.
In Iceland the playschools have a high focus on healthy eating and the slow food movement.
The playschool has a chef who makes the food from scratch daily including the bread.
I loved the plates, they would be great for soup or as a regular plate.
Lunch at Leikskólinn Aðalþing
Adalthing has over a 100 students, who all share this unique dining room. This dining room is in the center of the school and can seat 29 children. Only 26 children are allowed to be in the dining room at any given time. This means that the child entering the dining room always has a choice about where they sit. During a certain period of time, children are allowed to leave their classroom to walk down and have their lunch. There is a buffet (on the far right wall) where children can serve their own food and then take a seat where they please. When the children are finished they clear their settings and walk back to their rooms. There are usually three teachers in the room who supervise the safety of the children and occasionally explain new offerings on the buffet.
Children are able to make choices about what they eat and how many helpings they need. Staff have found the children are more engaged and relaxed at the table.
I simply fell in love with the idea of all these different tables and seating options. I know several children in my group who would gain more socially from sitting with smaller groups, without teachers at the table. My plan is to slowly eliminate one of my bigger tables and include several different height and size tables.
Suzanne from Interaction Imagination was with me during my visit and has included more details in her post here
.
As I was brainstorming about this post, I decided to also include photos from a couple other smaller settings that have inspired me with their meal times.
Lunch at Today's Play
Tammy at Today's Play values family style meals. The first photo is a typical lunch time at her small Home Child Care. She always has the most beautiful centerpieces and provides real plates and utensils.
The bottom photo is an example of one of her buffet style meals. This is a "Pasta Salad Bar" where the children can select and serve themselves the items they want in their Pasta Salad. She has also done a Yogurt Bar, where children can select from granola, fruit and other healthy toppings.
I would love to include more centerpieces.
I also love her divided Corelle plates.
Breakfast Bar at Exploration Child Care
Careese has found a great breakfast system for her In-Home Child Care. Every morning she has a selection of items prepared and displayed on her counter. At drop-off time parents help the child select their breakfast and then follow them to the table before they say good-bye. This allows the caregiver more time to help prepare bottles for the infants and speak with parents. It has created a much smoother transition in her program.
What a great morning ritual for the children and their parents!
No comments:
Post a Comment