Just as the phrase “Let them eat cake” represents a lack of understanding between the difference of living in poverty and having an adequate food supply, so too does having a “closed” snack routine represent a lack of understanding between the need to allow children to self-regulate and our ability to meet academic outcomes.
What does a typical snack routine look like for children being served in a group setting? Maybe an even better question is, “How should a typical snack routine look?”
In this Pre-K Teach & Play podcast, the concerns related to, and the solutions in offering an open snack within an inclusive program are discussed.
LISTEN NOW!
Three main themes are explored in this podcast episode, including:
- The importance of knowing “What’s your What.” When teams are clear about “what” they want children to learn, having an “open snack” policy doesn’t seem so scary.
- The importance of encouraging children to “listen” to their bodies in terms of when they are hungry and thirsty, and how this helps them “listen” when they are feeling “flooded” by emotions.
- The importance of having an “open snack” policy (aka being like a Hobbit and having more than one opportunity to eat, even in a 2.5 time period), which strengthens your relationship with children and their ability to self-regulate.
Click HERE to download a transcript of Podcast #17.
Additional Resources:
- Healthy from the Start: How feeding nurtures your young child’s body, heart and mind [link] to downloable resource from Zero to Three
- Feeding Young Children in Group Settings [website] – tons of great resources, including a measure to evaluate mealtimes when serving groups of children
- Sample feeding policies and mealtime philosophy statements [pdf] developed by Montana Team Nutrition Program
- Phrases that help and hinder during mealtimes [pdf] based on the work of Dr. Janice Fletcher and Dr. Laurel Branen
- Article on mindful eating [link] by Dr. Brittanny Boulanger
Guest Podcasters:
Jolene K. Chavez, M.Ed.
Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, NV.
Even though I come from a long line of educators, related service providers, and education administrators, I came upon the profession in a roundabout way. After film school, I decided to become a Special Education Teacher because I’ve always enjoyed being around kids, and it would give me time to write the screenplays and plays that lived inside of my head. Once I became an educator, all of my time went into working at becoming the best Special Educator I could be. Pre-K students with special needs is what I am most passionate about. I took a brief break from teaching by being a Special Education Instructional Facilitator for two years, but the classroom beckoned and I am currently back in the classroom doing what I love the most. Being the mother to a unique and incredible four-year old, musical theatre, and teaching are the things that keep my passion for life and learning ignited.
Alicia Frost, M.Ed.
Title-1 Pre-Teacher, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, NV.
I am truly passionate about Early Childhood Education and am always looking to improve my teaching practices to ensure that I am providing a quality educational experience for my students. I continue to search for new and innovative means to make a positive difference in the realm of Early Childhood Education. My other passions are my children and my dogs. I have four energetic and amazing boys ages 10, 6, 3 and 4 months. My boys are into playing a variety of sports so my spare time is spent at sports fields.I also have two dogs, a yellow Lab and a Lab/German Shepard mix. I often refer to them as my first children. When my children are a little older, I would like to foster dogs that are waiting for adoption.
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