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Book for Educators |
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Introduction |
Includes:
- What's in the kit
- Food Learning Context
- Ideas for encouraging children to try new foods
- Overview of the learning experiences
- How the learning experiences work
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Learning Experience 1
We are plant investigators |
Children investigate parts of edible plants (vegetables and fruit). They plant a big avocado seed. Includes:
- 'Edible Plant Parts' resource
- 'My Tasting the Rainbow Journal'
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Learning Experience 2
We are sensory food detectives |
Children use their senses to explore avocados as well as a variety of green vegies and fruit and detect a range of shapes, weight, textures and aromas. Includes:
- 'Alvin Avocado' puppet resource
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Learning Experience 3
We are colourful food explorers |
Children become 'rainbow explorers' as they sort and create a rainbow of colourful vegies and some fruit. They then become 'green bite tasters' and explore sample tastes of green vegies and fruit, including avocados. The tasting protocol is explored with children. Includes:
- Blackline 'Rainbow Poster' with shapes and names of vegies and fruit
- 'Eat the Rainbow' songs, rhyme and sensory words.
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About Setting Up the Picto-Recipes |
Detailed instructions on how to set up and use the picto-recipes which are used in Learning Experiences 4 & 5 |
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Learning Experience 4
We are green snack makers |
Children prepare an individual green snack and eat with friends. Children follow the steps of a picto-recipe to inform and guide them through the ingredients and processes. Includes:
- Picto-recipe - Lazy Green Caterpillars
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Learning Experience 5
We are rainbow gourmets |
Children create a dish to share, featuring a special ingredient - avocados - and a rainbow of other colourful vegies and fruit. Children take on the role of 'rainbow gourmets', and use a sequenced picto-recipe card system to prepare food for a 'Rainbow Celebration'. A preparation table is set up, and a separate eating table for children to sit, eat and share food and conversations. Includes:
- Picto-recipe - Asian Avo Rolls
- Picto-recipe - Avocado Zesty Dip
- Picto-recipe - Rainbow Tower with Avocado Cement
- Picto-recipe - Warm Green Potato Boats
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Support Resources |
Includes:
- Food literacy context
- Mapping food links across early childhood learning
- Key ideas used in the resource
- List of children's food related literature
- Further resources for directors, educators and cooks
- Food tips and suggestions
- Rainbow checklist planner for the centre cook
- Recipes to try at the centre and share with parents
- Sample newsletter and recipes for parents
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Resources |
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Avocados and other vegetables and fruit |
Fresh vegetables and fruit are central to the learning experiences, in particular avocados. Unfortunately these can't be downloaded from the web, but some suggestions for obtaining these are:
- Ask parents to provide a couple of items each from home
- Approach suppliers such as your local supermarket, greengrocer or wholesale market
- Ask a local grower (perhaps via the grower's market) to make a visit to the centre and bring samples
- Select vegies and fruit at the height of their season so the price is right
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'Tasting the Rainbow of Colourful Vegies and Fruit' Poster |
Large format colourful poster can be used on the wall, table or floor and shows photographs of vegies and fruit arranged in the five colours of the 'vegie and fruit rainbow'. The poster also includes a rich selection of food-related sensory words that educators can use to encourage young children's vocabulary and language development. |
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'Rainbow Colour Swatch' |
Five bright colour samplers provide a range of hues and shades for each colour of the 'vegie and fruit rainbow'. Children can match, sort and compare real food colours against the swatches to find 'same', 'similar', and 'different'. |
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'My Food Finder' |
Children can use this set of avocado-shaped view finders to help focus their attention while investigating and exploring the colours, shapes, textures and sizes of various vegies and fruit. |
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Picto-Recipe Cards |
A set of three picto-recipe cards providing a sequence of visual representations of each step of a recipe enabling children to make an individual serve. |
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DVD |
Includes:
- Examples of the learning experiences in action in early childhood centres.
- The food education rationale for the ideas embedded in the learning experiences.
- Tips and suggestions for preparing food with young children.
- Suggestions for including avocados on the menu for young children.
- Extra learning tools, resources and recipes to print.
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'Avocado Colour and Ripeness Chart' |
An Avocado Australia resource that explains the different varieties of avocado and how to assess their ripeness. |
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