A Unique Child - Health: Seed to snack

Recent reports about some children believing that potatoes grow on trees and chips are made from apples illustrate why helping children discover where their food comes from is becoming an important nursery topic.

To support this, the National Day Nurseries Association's 'Healthy Body, Happy Me' campaign, which aims to support nurseries in giving children the 'energy for play, learning and fun', includes a themed 'Seed to Snack' day.

Supported by Nursery World, the week for the campaign runs from 10-14 March, with five themed days all designed to help day nurseries promote how they support all aspects of a child's well-being. The 'Seed to Snack' day is a great way to focus on getting children interested in where their food comes from. 'Astronaut food' grown in 'space rockets' is a great activity to tie in with the theme.

Rocket fuel

This space activity is based on growing beans and seeds, such as alfalfa and mung beans. Both offer a fun way to explain how food grows, and how it provides us with nutrients. NASA has developed a seed sprouting system that allows these beans to grow in space and provide food for astronauts, which is a link that provides many more learning opportunities.

Ady Delaney, nutritionist and owner of Eatright UK, which is supporting the NDNA's Seed to Snack day, says, 'Children absolutely love this activity as the sprouts grow quickly, and the link to astronauts means you can have great fun exploring "space missions". This is a simple and hands-on activity that children can easily get involved in.'

RESOURCES
- small water bottles
- stickers
- elastic bands
- a small number of dishcloths
- growing beans (mung, alfalfa or radish)

To make your space sprout 'rockets' and help children discover how we go from 'seed to snack':

- Show children the beans and discuss with them how things grow and what makes this possible.

- Cut clear plastic bottles in half and keep the bottom. (This should be done by an adult prior to the activity). If you don't have enough bottles, plastic cups are a good alternative.

- Help children place beans in their water bottle.

- Write names on labels and stick to bottle - you may also wish to help children decorate their 'rockets'.

- Cut out small squares of dishcloth, place them over the top of the bottle and secure with an elastic band.

- Let children pour water on the sprouts, getting rid of any excess.

- Encourage children to repeat the process for the next three to four days.

- Your sprouts should begin to grow, and soon should be ready for eating

As the sprouts grow quickly and can be seen through the bottle, children are bound to ask lots of questions, presenting opportunities to discuss other foods. Once your sprouts are ready, why not cook a healthy meal with the children? Stir-fries and salads are great healthy options and are dishes where children can get involved in the preparation.

This is a relatively simple activity, but you may also wish to consider options for additional ones, such as role play or space-themed storytimes.

NDNA chief executive Purnima Tanuku says, 'We know that nurseries already do help children discover how the right foods and activities can give them the energy for play, learning and fun. Healthy Body, Happy Me week represents a great opportunity for nurseries to highlight the excellent work that they do in this area to parents, MPs, councillors and other professionals. We are sure the Seed to Snack day will be a popular choice with nurseries and children.'

HEALTHY OPTIONS

- Healthy Body, Happy Me is run by NDNA and is in its second year.

- Celebrity supporters include sporting stars Linford Christie OBE and Colin Jackson CBE. The campaign is supported by Nursery World.

There are five themed days that are included in the 2008 week:
Monday is 'Time to Get Active', supported by Yoga4 Nurseries
Tuesday is 'Stop the Rot' day, with support by Oral-B Stages
Wednesday is the 'Big Breakfast' day
Thursday is 'From Seed to Snack' day, supported by Eatright UK
Friday is 'Let's Make Some Noise' day, supported by The Bongo Club

- Nurseries can opt to participate in as many or as few of the themed days as they like.

- All NDNA members will be sent a resource pack, containing a wall chart, balloons and factsheets as well as carrot seeds and an activity idea. NDNA is encouraging nurseries to once again pledge their support to the campaign and receive additional resources and a chance to win a cooking session with nutritionist Ady Delaney.

FURTHER INFORMATION

- To take part in the campaign, visit www.ndna.org.uk.