
There are a few reasons as to why we give the children their desert at the same time as their lunch. One being
-that the children would either rush or not eat their main because they thought they would miss out.
-trust that they know when they have had enough of their main before having their desert.
-choice to eat what they feel like at the time, no issues with healthyness as both main and puddings are generally healthy anyway at educare.
-prior knowledge that the children who eat their pudding first, usually follow it with their main anyway.
We provide the healthy food, it is up to the child to deside if they are hungry enough to eat it. No food battles which can lead to further food issues later in life. As Pennie Brownlee would say "food should always be a pleasure"
You said you were surprised at how well they waited for their kai. Sometimes this is not the case and its up to the teachers taking morning tea to `read the children' and decide when it is appropriate to stop the waiata. In saying this though. `singing for our supper' is a tradition at educare and our children love participating and learning new songs. It has become a real ritual for us. Often whanau comment on their childrens singing and generall happiness around waiata and dance. Also eating around the table should be an enjoyable social event. Too many families these days, mine included spend too much time eating dinner infront of the television. Morning tea time is a time for us to all come together as a whanau before venturing off into our own little worlds of play again. Can you play the guitar or ukelele?
I was told you were asking about the whys around some of our routines, and I would be happy to try and explain to you why we do things the way we do. Sometimes I cant answer on the spot, as I need to activate my brain and think about my answers first, so dont be surprised if I say to you, "can I get back to you on that"
As you may have noticed we have a varying range of knowledge within the centre around the Pikler/Rie approach. This is something that we cover every second staff meeting. But the biggest things for me and I hope my team is the ability to communicate well with each other the children and whanau in an authentic way, as well as being respectful and nonjudgemental. I believe these are the primary keys to building strong relationships and being comfortable and happy.
Ka Kite for now.
Leigh.