5: We Are What We Eat (But We're Other Things, Too!)

They say that we are what we eat, and that what we eat is the sum of the little choices we make on a daily basis. If who we are is a reflection of our food, what do our food choices say about us?

This is week, the children reflected on the concept of choice by revisiting the food that they bought from the grocery store. Each child had the chance to show the photo of their purchases with the class, and to share what they thought about the food they chose. Almost all of them said that they’re happy with the choice they made. 

To get a better picture of Kinder 2’s food choices, we organized illustrations of what the children bought on a chart. We discovered that many of their choices are similar, and the most popular one is ice cream! (I wonder if they have similar tastes in flavors, too. My favorite is mint, which seems to be an unpopular choice. 😆)

We also had a chance to take a sneak peek into your refrigerators and pantries at home when the children brought food from your house for this week’s show and tell! It was a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables: yam, tomatoes, kiwi, avocado, and so much more! 

We tried opening one of onions to see what it looks like, and some children courageously tried a bite! They said it tastes spicy. We also have a burning question: why do onions make us cry?

Thank you for the food you shared as our exploration table is now in abundance. Next week, we’ll use these for experiments and art! 

The food you shared from your home paved the way for our discussion on where certain foods come from. The children connected the dots and observed that all of the food that we have on display come from plants. 

This perfectly aligns with our yearlong unit under the theme How the World Works, and how the seasons affect the way we live. We took a walk outside and had a storytelling session that focuses on how plants give us food. The children observed the plants around them, and agreed that spring and summer are the perfect seasons for plants to thrive and of course, provide us with food, too. 

To give the children an opportunity to get their hands dirty (they loved it, of course) and to be a scientist for a day, we used some of the food items available in the classroom to create a mixture! We discovered that water and cornstarch make a gooey mess when mixed together, which changes how it responds to touch. 

Of course, the week wouldn’t be complete without creating art! To help the children develop their fine motor skills, they created fruit art by tearing crepe paper and using these to “color” their fruit of choice. Their work are now displayed in our room, along with the messages of positivity on each sheet. They are definitely one in a melon! 😅

This week, I read a beautiful story called The Dot. It’s about a girl named Vashti who doubts herself and her artistic ability. For her artwork in class, she made a simple dot which her teacher lovingly displayed in the classroom. This made her believe in herself more, until she was able to create an array of masterpieces! In class, the children made dots too, when they practiced writing their names — but of course, they were also given creative freedom to choose however they want to express themselves. 

I truly value the message of the book, so I, too, proudly display what the children make so that they all know that they are valued. 

This week was also a perfect time to begin our story workshop, as the children are becoming more comfortable in school. This approach in writing is focused on playing with available materials and creating stories out of them. The piece of string, rock, clay, or anything tangible in the room has a story in them waiting to unfold! I began the activity by reading a book called Not A Stick by Antoinette Portis. The story revolved around the main character who insisted that he didn’t have a stick. What he had was a fishing rod that caught a shark, a paintbrush that made Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and even a sword that captured dragons! 

After the story, we used the sticks in our room to let our imagination run wild. At the end of the day, we all agreed what we had are not sticks at all — they’re unicorn horns, rabbit ears, a violin, or even a crown! We had a blast creating our stories! 

It's an elephant trunk

It's the ears of a rabbit

It's a violin!

It's a unicorn's horn

It's an old man's walking cane

It's a unicorn horn, too!

It's a torch

It's a crown

It's a fan that can turn round and round! 

   It's a weapon that you can throw

It was truly a fun-filled week for our Kindergarteners. While we do agree that we are indeed what we eat, I think it's safe to say that after this week, we've definitely proven that we're more than just the sum of the food we eat. We're scientists, writers, artists, and storytellers, too. 

Have a wonderful weekend to all of you! 

Your Kindergarten teacher, 

Pam

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