Sus.Kinder project puts emphasis on healthy nutrition in early childhood
09. 11. 2017
Nutrition is a major factor determining the health, growth and development of children. In early childhood, attitudes towards taste for certain foods (for example, food with less fat, salt and sugar) and a sense of food enjoyment, such as eating habits that can influence eating behavior in later life periods, are developed.
Building a culture of healthy nutrition in early childhood is a prerequisite for ensuring children’s harmonious physical and mental development. Proper nutrition increases the body's resistance to various diseases and negative environmental influences, as well as its adaptability to ever-changing external environment conditions.
The main task of rational nutrition in the kindergarten is to ensure a proper diet that matches the age of children by nutrition balance in the daily menu.
The project Sus.Kinder: Sustainable Food offers an opportunity to develop a new and innovative set of skills and competencies for individuals working in early years settings. The main added value of the activities is that it is possible to compare the different approaches to link food, culture, health and the environment by exchanging of experiences and practices. Close dialogue with partners at local and regional level in Europe is also initiated.
University of Agribusiness and Rural Development hosted the forth international workshop on the project Sus.Kinder: Sustainable Food in Kindergartens in Plovdiv from 5th to 6th of October, 2017. The project is implemented under the Erasmus+, Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices - Strategic partnership in the field of education.
The Agenda included discussions on:
- Intellectual Output 1: Produce guidelines and a didactic concept on the theme of “Sustainable food in kindergartens”
- Intellectual Outputs 3: Online Portal “Sustainable food in kindergartens”
- Intellectual Outputs 4: Create an English pilot e-learning course “Sustainable food in kindergartens”
- Intellectual Outputs 5: Produce seven versions of the e-learning course “Sustainable food in kindergartens” adapted for all partner countries and languages
A visit to kindergarten was organized with the kind cooperation of the Municipality of Plovdiv and the deputy mayor of "Education, business development, European policies and international cooperation" – Mr. Stefan Stoyanov. The director of the kindergarten “Maritsa” Mrs Nadezhda Dervenska presented in details the legal basis and requirements regarding the supply of food products, the preparation of a weekly menu, the preparation and serving of the ready meals, the observance of the hygienic requirements etc. She underlined the good cooperation with the municipal authorities. In 2006 the kindergarten won a project entitled "Miracle of water, children and the magical world of nature" under the Clean Environment Campaign of the Ministry of Environment and Water, through which an outdoor children's pool for games and experiments with water is restored. In 2017 the kindergarten joint a year earlier launched program for introduction of the Montessori pedagogy in the public kindergartens in Plovdiv, initiated by the Plovdiv Municipality. An autumn fruit decoration lesson was demonstrated by the kids in a preschool group - a wonderful practical lesson that ends with eating fruit skewers. Fruits for the lesson are provided by the School Fruit Scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Another event, organized by UARD, was the degustation of healthy food prepared by children at the University’s kitchen. The main idea of the activity was to demonstrate the different attractive ways to prepare healthy food and how kids can be involve in this tasty and fun process.
Finally a presentation of best practices in the nutrition of young children in Bulgaria was presented (https://www.dropbox.com/s/9ccgd9lg5h28tee/Plovdiv.Meeting.pptx?dl=0).
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