Grand Ideas

I need to use acceptable mealtime behaviors and manners.

I need to use my fork and spoon correctly.

I need to eat and drink neatly.

I need to serve myself foods and beverages.

Mealtime can provide children with a variety of learning experiences. Children can learn about foods, taste new foods and practice accepting new foods at mealtime. At mealtime, children can also learn appropriate mealtime behaviors, such as feeding and serving themselves, polite mealtime manners, how to set the table and the use of eating utensils. And, perhaps most importantly, they can learn how to make mealtime a pleasant experience.

Teacher Know How

Did you know that lunchtime is 1/5 to 1/6 of the total time many children spend in Head Start? Four objectives of lunchtime are: 1) to teach sound nutrition; 2) to provide at least 1/3 of the daily nutritional requirements for each child; 3) to encourage socialization; and 4) to help the children learn and practice other skills and concepts as part of lunchtime, such as appropriate mealtime behaviors including feeding and serving skills, polite manners, correct table setting and using eating utensils well. These skills can help children enjoy the experience as well as obtain the nutrients and energy they need from food.

Many teachers and instructional assistants do an excellent job making lunchtime a pleasurable learning experience. Teaching children to try new foods, treating desserts as part of the whole meal and helping children to take responsibility for clean up are things that can be taught at mealtime. Many teachers supply pitchers and cups so that children can pour their own milk.

Teachers can capitalize on the many learning experiences mealtime offers by eating with the, children and remembering to do these things:

• Create a quiet, relaxed atmosphere.
• Display good eating habits and mealtime manners.
• Encourage children to feed themselves using forks and spoons.
• Recognize different food likes and dislikes but expecting children to taste each food served, even if only one small bite.
• Seat picky or problem eaters with good eaters.
• Serve milk with the rest of the meal. Children should not have to wait for a liquid. If a child wants to drink all the milk at one time, try to use these words and ideas:
• "Eat a little, drink a little."
• "Take a bite of your food, then drink some milk. You will not have room in your stomach for your tater tots if you drink all of your milk first. "
• Sit near this child so that you can help him or her.
• Ask the parents what they do at home. Maybe their policy is that the child must drink all of the milk before getting dessert or second helpings. Explain that nutritionists agree that children need a balance of foods and to not over emphasize one food group. Nutritionists agree that liquids help digestion.
• Look for other reasons if the child persists in drinking all of the milk first. Is the child thirsty because the classroom drinking fountain does not work or because of outdoor play?
• Some children may be unable to drink milk because they are lactose intolerant. People who are lactose intolerant are not able to digest milk properly which leads to diarrhea. Cheese and yogurt can usually be eaten without ill effects. Also, these people can usually drink small quantities of milk without experiencing problems.
• Serve food, whenever possible, family style to allow the child and not the teacher to decide how much he or she will eat. Extra foods should be left in the center of the table so that children can serve themselves.
• Eat non-school lunch foods only when the children are not present unless documented dietary reasons exist and have been explained to the children. Children learn by imitation. If an adult has cottage cheese instead of pizza, the message to the child is negatively against the pizza.
• Sit and eat with the children to encourage conversation and model appropriate lunchtime behaviors.
• Have food ready when children sit down at the table. Children should begin passing it immediately if an adult is sitting there.
• Allow children to help set the table. Children learn matching, counting and other skills besides providing genuine help at lunchtime.
• Give children an appropriate amount of time to eat (usually 25-30 minutes).

Children will learn and practice appropriate mealtime behaviors and manners.

Children will practice using a fork and spoon correctly,

Children will practice serving themselves food and beverages.
 
 

To Know and Learn

The Pedro Dreams About Tableville finger puppet story will enable children to learn about setting the table and mealtime manners.

Materials Needed

Pedro Dreams About Tableville finger puppet story on page 2-4
Pedro Dreams About Tableville finger puppet faces on page 2-5
glue or tape
crayons or felt tip markers
scissors
knife
fork
spoon
plate
napkin
glass

Directions

Color and cut out the Pedro Dreams About Tableville finger puppet faces on page 2-5.

Glue or tape each of the puppet picture faces on a knife, fork, spoon, plate, napkin, glass and cup.

Before reading the story, ask the children: Who do you think lives in a place called Tableville? Who might "live" on a table?

Read Pedro Dreams About Tableville on page 2-4. Use the "puppets" to illustrate highlights of the story. As, you read the story and sing the chorus, set the table using the puppets. The chorus can be sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

After the story has been read, ask the children to answer the following questions:

Name the utensils we use to eat.
Where do the utensils belong on the table? Why do we say, "please"?
Why do we say, "thank you"?
When we say "please" and "thank you," how should our face look?

The children could pretend that they are a fork, knife, spoon, plate or glass and dance in a circle while they sing the song.

Food For Thought
 

Ask the children to identify the utensils we use to eat our food. Ask them to discuss when and why we say "please" and "thank you" at mealtime.
 
 

One night while Pedro slept he had a very strange dream. He dreamt that he had fallen into Tableville. In Tableville little boys and girls were very small and the forks, spoons, knives, plates, napkins and glasses were very large.

Pedro looked around him and saw many forks, spoons, knives, plates, napkins and glasses dancing. He sneaked closer and heard them singing

A, B, C, D, now we will eat
Setting the table for a treat
Forks and spoons, plates and knives
We use these things all of our lives
"please" and "thank you" with a smile
Happy, happy all the while

They danced in a circle as they sang the song. After the song was over, all the forks, knives, spoons, plates, napkins and glasses laughed. Then another Tablevillian, Please yelled, "Please, in your places." The utensils ran as fast as they could to their places on the table. Pedro was surprised that the word please" had such an effect on utensils.

The plate stood in the middle of the table. The knife and spoon moved to the right of the plate. Just above the spoon Pedro saw that a glass was hopping up and down saying, "I am here!

Pedro turned to look to the left of the plate and saw a fork and napkin. "Fork here, at your service," said the fork. "Napkin here, at your service," said the napkin. Pedro shook his head. All this happened by saying "please." The next moment Pedro heard all the forks, spoons, knives, napkins, plates and glasses saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. It pleases me to thank you, thank you, thank you all."

The utensils laughed again and started to sing the song:

Chorus

Pedro woke from his dream. He was back in his bed at home. Pedro sighed, "I will miss that strange land called Tableville. But at least I know how to set a table and say please and thank you. Thank you," he said. And, Pedro sang the Tableville song with a smile on his face

Chorus

Children will become aware of the social aspects of eating by singing and acting out the Mealtime, Mealtime song and practicing social skills at mealtime.

Materials Needed

Mealtime, Mealtime song, see below.

Directions

Ask the children to name several reasons why we eat (for example, hunger, to grow big and strong, for energy, to be with friends and that food tastes good). Have the children describe who they eat with during mealtime. Even though people have many different mealtime practices, most people like to eat with others. Ask the children to name people with whom they usually share a meal. These people might include friends, family and teachers.

Read Mealtime, Mealtime, see below, to the children. Have them sing each line until they know it well. Afterwards have them answer the following questions:

Do we sometimes eat with our families?
Can boys and girls eat together?
Can we laugh during meals?
Can we talk during meals?
Can we listen to others during mealtime?
What do you eat during mealtime?
Can mealtime be fun?

During mealtime help the children practice talking and sharing with friends. Also help children identify appropriate mealtime discussion topics.

The following books can be used to further explore the social aspects of eating:

Eighteen Cousins (C. Hogann, Parent's Magazine Press, New York, 1968).

Always Room For One More (S. Leodhas, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1965).

Fish For Supper (M. Goffstein, The Dial Press, New York, 1976).

Food For Thought

Ask children to explain why we eat and name people with whom we can share mealtime.
 
 

Children will recognize the social aspects of eating by making a collage of people with whom they often share mealtime.

Materials Needed

paper
crayons, felt tip markers or paint
food and people pictures (optional)
glue or tape (optional)
scissors (optional)

Directions

Discuss the social implications of eating with the children. Ask them to name the people they share meals with and the things they discuss during meals. Have the children pretend that they are eating. Ask them to identify who they are eating with and what they talk about while they eat. Small groups of children could complete this portion of the activity in the housekeeping area of the classroom.

Have the children draw, paint or make a collage with magazine pictures of people with whom they often share meals.

After the collages are made, ask the children to describe their pictures to the class.

At breakfast, lunch or snacktime, talk with the children about the foods being served. Also, help them to begin to think of the kinds of topics that they could talk about with their classmates or families at mealtime. Have them practice conversations at mealtime.

Food For Thought

Have the children name some people with whom they can share mealtime.
 
 

Children will have the opportunity to practice good mealtime manners by playing a game.

Materials Needed

potato, apple or carrot

Directions

Talk about why we say "please" and "thank you" at mealtime. Ask the children to explain when we say "please" and "thank you." Explain how "thank you" can be used when someone has given you something and "please" can be used when you are asking someone to do something for you. The phrase "you are welcome" can also be used to respond to someone thanking you.

Ask the children to repeat "thank you ... .. please" and "you are welcome" until they know the phrases well.

Have the children sit in a circle and play a passing game with the potato, apple or carrot. The food item can only be passed to the next child if the child asks for the food using the word, "please."

If the child forgets to say "please," he or she must sit in the center of the circle. When another child forgets, he or she exchanges places with the child in the circle who can then return to the game. If the child who receives the food forgets to say, "thank you" to the child who passed the food, he or she must sit in the circle until someone else misses. This continues until every child has had a chance to say "please" and "thank you."

Encourage the children to practice using these words and phrases at mealtime.

To make the game more challenging, the pace of the passing can be increased and/or the child passing the food must also say "you are welcome."

The following book can be used to discuss mealtime manners: ..
 

Dinner At Alberta's (R. Hoban, Crowell Company, New York, 1975).

Food For Thought

Ask the children how to request food at the table and describe how to respond to the person who has given them food.
 
 

Children will practice setting a table by singing and acting out the Mealtime Set Up song.

Materials Needed

Mealtime Set Up song, see below
fork (optional)
knife (optional)
spoon(optional)
plate (optional)
glass (optional)
napkin (optional)

Directions

Sing the Mealtime Set Up song, see below, to the children and have them repeat each line until they know it well.

Show the children how to act out the song and set the table.

Ask the children to sing the Mealtime Set Up song and act out setting the table.

Let the children help set the table at mealtime. Show the children how to use a spoon, fork and knife. Encourage the use of these utensils at mealtime.

Food For Thought

Have the children demonstrate that they know where the plate, glass, cup, napkin and eating utensils belong on the table by setting a table.
 
 

To Know and Learn

Have the children demonstrate that they know where the plate, glass, napkin and eating utensils belong on the table by setting a table.

Materials Needed

paper tablecloth or paper placemat
crayons or felt tip markers
fork (optional)
spoon (optional)
knife (optional)
plate (optional)
glass (optional)
napkin (optional)

Directions

Review table setting with the children. Each child could practice setting a table using a fork, knife,
spoon, plate, glass and napkin in the housekeeping area or before meals served at school.

Ask the children to set the table using a fork, knife, spoon, plate, glass and/or napkin.

After the children have completed the pictures, they could take turns setting the table(s) for meals. This would also help children practice team work and math skills (by counting out the forks, knives, spoons, plates, glasses and/or napkins needed).

A collage could be made by having the children glue a paper plate, cup, napkin and plastic fork, knife and spoon to a paper placemat.

Food For Thought

Ask the children to set a table using a fork, knife, spoon, plate, glass and/or napkin.
 
 

Children will learn proper techniques for chewing, drinking, biting and cutting foods and beverages by singing Chew, Drink and Bite and practicing these activities.

Materials Needed

Chew, Drink and Bite song, see below
papercups
knife with dull blade (for example, dinner knife)
water
carrot or celery
pitcher
cutting board
hot dog
apple

Directions

Review with the children the need to eat and completely chew our food. Children who eat too quickly or do not chew their food properly may have problems with choking and/or upset stomachs. Stress the importance of eating slowly and chewing food well.
 

Read Chew, Drink and Bite, see below, to the children. Have them repeat each line until they know it well. Ask them to pretend to chew, drink, cut their food and bite into an apple as they sing the song.
 

Let the children practice proper techniques for these activities. To do this, concentrate on only one part of the song, for example, cutting food. Have the children:

• Describe the importance of cutting food into bite size pieces.
• Give each child half of a hot dog or some other food that needs to be cut before eating.

Let them try cutting the food into bite size pieces,

Repeat until the children have practiced appropriate eating and drinking behaviors. The children can also practice:

• drinking small sips of water from a paper cup
• chewing a bite size piece of carrot or celery
• biting a bite size piece of an apple, carrot stick or hotdog

This activity can be repeated each time a new food is being served at breakfast, lunch or snacktime.

Food For Thought

As the children eat their meals, have them practice and demonstrate proper drinking and eating techniques.
 
 

Children will become familiar With food serving techniques by watching a demonstration and then practicing the techniques at each meal.

Materials Needed

bowl
spoon
fork
plate
ladle
pot
pan
pitcher
glass
crayons
scissors

Directions

Show the children how to serve themselves food from a pan, pot, plate or bowl using a fork, spoon or ladle. Let the children practice these behaviors using the equipment without food and also at mealtime. Serving bowls and serving spoons can also be included in the housekeeping area of the classroom.

Children can also practice using forks, spoons, knives, glasses, cups, plates and napkins correctly by having a "tea party" in the housekeeping area.

Food For Thought

Observe the children to determine whether they need to practice serving themselves.