The Food Plate

Think of a vegetable. Now think how to draw it. Now think of five more. Not so easy is it, and yet that is the challenge that we set ourselves this week with the healthcare project.

In order to show the kids what they should be eating we decided to teach them Michelle Obama’s food plate. One evening of hilarious “art” work and then a morning of attempting to explain the difference between a fruit and a vegetable, and why you shouldn’t eat too many grain products to children with a vague grasp of basic English. Yet this group of 3-5 year olds seemed to understand almost straight away.

The staff of the educare in which we are working have been fantastic and genuinely interested in bettering themselves and their children. They have been happy to ask questions ranging from “What do I do if a child is choking?” to “What is that? A tree?” It was broccoli, and an excellent drawing too!

The lovely thing about this project is that, despite the short term, each project only lasts for two weeks, you are able to see changes happening around you. One girl would bring in only crisps (chips) for lunch for the first few days but after the workshop on healthy eating the carers talked to her mother and she had rice and vegetables, potatoes and chicken and some sort of pasta dish in her lunch box. When you can have this sort of impact, and make a real difference to someone’s future, it is the best thing in the world!

Margaret Whitehead – Health Workshops Volunteer

The Food Plate