To kick off the new year on a healthy note, the children at Leahurst Road Pre School have been participating in fruit and vegetable tasting sessions. The aim being to encourage the children to eat more fruit and vegetables and gain a better understanding about healthy eating.
Sticking to sweet tasting vegetables to start with, the staff prepared carrots and sweetcorn for the first session. The children were offered half cooked and raw carrot, which went down a storm as they finished off the entire bag! The sweetcorn proved just as popular, with many of the children demanding second helpings!
The session clearly provided food for thought, as over lunchtime there was much chat around eating fruit and vegetables and their health benefits. The staff were so impressed at how well the children had embraced the session that they rewarded them with a magical sticker!
Red pepper, sugar snap peas and mangetout were on the menu the following week and the children were given the opportunity to look, feel and taste the different fruits and vegetables. They were encouraged to try each type, even if it was just a small bite. For most children it didn’t go much further than that, but the staff vow to persevere and well done to the children for having a go!
The children also embarked on the science-based activities. Beginning with the theme of weather, the children have so far been learning about the water cycle, and how snow and ice are made. The topic provided great scope to ignite the children’s sense of curiosity and wonder, as they had a morning of experiments, role-play and craft activities.
The staff did a simple experiment to demonstrate how snow and ice are made. After warning the children about the dangers of hot water and not to touch, the children watched how the water vapour rose from the bowl when the hot water was stirred. It was then explained to them how this in turn becomes snow within the atmosphere when it’s very cold. The staff also talked about how water freezes to become ice when it gets very cold. The children enjoyed melting the ice with their hands as the staff talked to them about how heat melts the ice.
With igloos and sledges on hand for role play; flour paste mixture for messy mark-making, snow scene collage, and papier-mâché snowman to make, the children had a busy and fun-packed morning. Outdoors, the artificial snowballs proved a real hit too!
For further information about the Preschool and to view a virtual tour visit http://www.leahurstrdpreschool.org.uk/
To book a place call: 07748 923455