What We Do - Health Eating

 

Making snack and lunch social times

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When children have their snack they are always sat with other children and a teacher and conversation is encouraged – particularly about food!  At lunchtime, children and teachers all sit together to eat and children are supported and encouraged to develop social skills at mealtimes.

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Encourage children to “try something new” 

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​We encourage children to try new foods by making trips with them to the local Co-op to choose our Monday Club snack. We talk about where food comes from and why we need to be healthy.

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Growing our own food

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We grow our own fruit and vegetables to encourage the children to get involved and learn about where their food comes from. The children help decide what to grow, prepare the soil, plant the seeds, water the plants, harvest and enjoy eating what we’ve grown!

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Healthy Eating training

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Our staff undertake training on the benefits of healthy eating, portion size and general nutrition. We share what we’ve learnt with parents on our Facebook page, on our website and in our termly Newsletter.

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Sugar in snacks leaflet

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We have produced a leaflet highlighting the amount of sugar that is added to many processed snacks as a helpful guide for parents.

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Annual snack survey

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We undertake an annual survey of the different snacks that children bring into Pre-school. This is taken over a week and the results are put on our website.

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What We Do – Good Oral Health 

 

Research by Public Health England suggests that 1 in 5 children aged 5, have experienced tooth decay, with tooth decay being the most common reason for children aged 6 to 10 to be admitted to hospital to have teeth removed.  Poor oral health can affect children’s ability to sleep, eat, speak, play and socialise with other children.

We encourage and help the children to learn about healthy eating habits and good dental hygiene in a relaxed, fun and safe environment.  We promote good oral health by:

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• Talking with the children about the effects of eating too many sweet, sugary foods.

• We provide water and milk for the children to drink and ask that parents do not send in juice cartons for their children to drink at lunchtimes. 

• Promoting regular toothbrushing – twice a day for 2 minutes using a fluoride toothpaste.  We have pretend sets of teeth the children can practise cleaning using proper toothbrushes.

• We encourage children to visit the dentist regularly (twice a year is recommended).  We visit our local village dental practice who are brilliant at helping the children understand the dentist is not someone to be afraid off. 

• Encouraging parents to promote good oral health at home with the information we send home using our Newsletters, website and Facebook page.