How Are Kiddos Served Meals In Your Program?

[daycarediva]

What are your menus like? Can you ask the kids for menu ideas and have them take ownership/plan meals? What about doing a nutrition unit? an 'eat the rainbow' challenge?

I would simplify the heck out of my menus.

Vanilla Greek yogurt, banana
Grilled cheese, tomato soup, peas
Cherry tomatoes, wheat thins

Make a poster about the 'food of the day' and give everyone a taste test and let them move their names on a banana shape to a smiley face or frowny face, etc.

[craftymissbeth]

I didn't vote because I do both family and restaurant style depending on what were having plus how the kids are behaving.

[craftymissbeth]

What are your menus like? Can you ask the kids for menu ideas and have them take ownership/plan meals? What about doing a nutrition unit? an 'eat the rainbow' challenge?

I would simplify the heck out of my menus.

Vanilla Greek yogurt, banana
Grilled cheese, tomato soup, peas
Cherry tomatoes, wheat thins

Make a poster about the 'food of the day' and give everyone a taste test and let them move their names on a banana shape to a smiley face or frowny face, etc.

This helped me tremendously! This summer I revamped my menu and now only do one maybe two "fancy" meals a week. Every other day is ridiculously simple... and they eat every single bite plus some.

Plus, it's way cheaper and way easier to clean up after.

[melilley]

Restaurant style/family style here. I make up individual plates after the kids are all strapped into their seats and have their bibs on (they are all 3 and under). I make my plate, then bring all of the plates to the table and we eat together. It is just easier for me since I have some infants that I have to spoon feed also.

This is what I do!
Every once in a while I let them serve some things themselves like Heidi does.

[_Dana_]

Think of it this way... You serve them a specific amount of food. If they eat it, that amount of food is gone (in their stomach) if they don't eat it, that same amount of food is gone (in the trash). Either way, the same amount of food is gone. As long as you don't serve them a different meal if they throw their food away, you are losing the same amount of food just to different places.

Yep. Initially, I was p.o.'ed about how much food was "being wasted" but changed my way of thinking. I remember in my nutrition class that it can take up to 20 or more exposures to a food before children will try it. How else will children learn to like and try other foods if they are not exposed to different foods? kwim?

Like others, I make the required amount of food necessary for my dcks. But if I KNOW that one kid is super picky or doesn't like a particular food, I'll put a small portion on their plate. If they eat it, great! They can have more if they want. If not, my husband will usually finish whatever the kids don't eat when he gets home for lunch.

[Heidi]

With my last group of preschoolers, I hung up the food pyramid near the table. Each meal, we would figure out together what food group each food item was in. Then, we'd make a game of letting them guess.

I found this nutrition themed stuff:

http://www.preschool-plan-it.com/preschool-nutrition.html

If you google preschool nutrition theme you will find a bunch of activities. Make it fun.

[originalkat]

Think of it this way... You serve them a specific amount of food. If they eat it, that amount of food is gone (in their stomach) if they don't eat it, that same amount of food is gone (in the trash). Either way, the same amount of food is gone. As long as you don't serve them a different meal if they throw their food away, you are losing the same amount of food just to different places.

::That is hilarious! This is EXACTLY the way I see it. EXCEPT when it comes to home-baked goodies---DON'T be throwing my home-baked goodies in the trash!::

[Country Kids]

Thank you to whoever posted the poll!

I'm having no problem with breakfast but horrible problems with lunch and snack.

#1 will eat only corn and peas for veggies but most fruits. Won't usually eat what ever we are having for a main part of the meal. Starting to not eat alot I believe because #2 doesn't eat.

#2 will eat no veggies what so ever-nothing and won't even try. Really eats only three or four fruits. Might eat the main part of the meal but its very hit and miss.

#3 and #4 are part-time. #3 usually won't eat if they are here with only #1 and #2. Will eat more if #4 is here because #4 is a great eater.

Alot of days I throw whole plates of food away because #1 and #2 won't eat anything off of them.

I'm really thinking of the nutrition units that Heidi suggested. These kids won't even try anything so I'm not sure how they even know if they like it or not.

[Cradle2crayons]

Restaurant style. I feed an infant while they are eating, I can't sit with them.
Eat or go hungry. No catering here.

I feed them the amount I know they will eat. I'm also feeding others while they are eating in the same room as they eat.

[SignMeUp]

The USDA My Plate site has printable materials. They used to send out posters of My Plate free, but apparently that has ended. You could laminate the posters though. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/print-m...resources.html

I laminated a couple of the posters and they hang above the kids' tables. They love figuring out what is what.

Also, Walmart used to sell the divided My Plate plates for a couple of bucks each. No clue if they still have them - that was a couple of years ago. The plates look exactly like the My Plate poster, and kids can dish their food items into the appropriate places. We only use them if all of our lunch items are all separate - fruit, veg, grain, protein.
And we also use the My Plates for playing bingo with play food, and with toy food in the dramatic play area.

[KayB]

happyface Ahhhh...reading all this makes me SO happy that I switched to them bringing their own lunches! I make their plates with whatever they bring and they all sit at the table together.

[Heidi]

happyface Ahhhh...reading all this makes me SO happy that I switched to them bringing their own lunches! I make their plates with whatever they bring and they all sit at the table together.

Funny...I would HATE that! It's too "schoolish" for my taste, and I like the whole family part of family daycare.

But...to each their own. Sounds like that works for you!

[Angelsj]

Restaurant style. I feed an infant while they are eating, I can't sit with them.
Eat or go hungry. No catering here.

Pretty much..
I serve a small amount of each food. They can have more if they like once they taste everything there.

[jenboo]

::That is hilarious! This is EXACTLY the way I see it. EXCEPT when it comes to home-baked goodies---DON'T be throwing my home-baked goodies in the trash!::

If it's something really yummy, I make them bring it to me before they dump their food into the trash. More for me!

[jenboo]

happyface Ahhhh...reading all this makes me SO happy that I switched to them bringing their own lunches! I make their plates with whatever they bring and they all sit at the table together.

This would drive me nuts. They would all come with so much junk. They may not eat everything I serve, but at least they are being exposed to it.

Lunch is stress free at my house. They can eat or asked to be excused and read a book. All my kids are 2.5 and under.