Cheeky Cherubs Early Years Schools

Cheeky Cherubs Early Years Schools
Innovation in Nutrition and Dining Application – “Come Dine With Me”
Cheeky Cherubs’ journey began when we first opened our doors in
2005. It is a journey spanning the last nine years which has seen us
gain experience, expertise and constantly strive to achieve a high
standard
We have had the opportunity to visit Norway, Italy and Scotland and
see what they had to show for best practice. We never looked back.
We returned back with a heightened awareness of the high standard
they had already been achieving. It reinforced the autonomy that
the children have around their own care and self-help skills.
While we follow the HighScope curriculum, we are influenced by
many approaches and guidelines, such as; Reggio Emilia, Multiple
Intelligences Theory, Siolta, Steiner and Aistear. The most
important focus is following the children’s emergent interests.
Following a study visit to Reggio Emilia, in Italy, in early 2008 we
were inspired by their approach and introduced the fine dining
experience to Cheeky Cherubs. In 2013 we had another opportunity
to join a study group to see the Tuscan Approach in action. This
reinforced the reasoning behind giving the children’s autonomy and
deepened our fine dining experience even further.
Our children do all the work themselves. They set the table,
including a table runner or tablecloth, placemats and real ware and
even add a vase of flowers in the middle. By using the children’s
symbols each day it means each child has the opportunity to give out
the ware, flowers etc throughout the course of the week,
encouraging inclusion and sense of community in the room.
“My turn” Aoibhinn, age 2
“Flowers. I put flowers!” Cian, age 2
The teachers join the children at snack and lunch, and eat what they
eat. They sit at the table with them, encouraging good table manners
and healthy discussion.
Sarah interacts warmly
with the Wobblers at lunch
time
Three little goldfish are centre of
the table every day for meal times.
Louise joins her Toddlers for some dinner
Flowers and table runners are now a
routine part of setting the table
“It’s a real experience for the children. They are learning a life
skill and it’s such a pleasure to be a part of this practice.”
Nicola, Preschool Teacher (3-5 years old)
“We sometimes don’t give the children credit for what they are
able to do. Our Wobblers absolutely love helping to set the
table. But it’s not all about the job, they smile and interact so
warmly with each other as they hand over the bowls, or spoons,
or placemats. And then the smile on their faces as they sit back
down having completed their task is priceless” Trish, Wobbler
Teacher (1-2years old)
When snack or dinner has finished the children tidy up themselves,
putting their leftovers into the bin and their plates into the sink.
Older children are used to help their younger peers in the room and
this encourages empathy and respect amongst the group.
In our older rooms the children wash and dry up the ware and put it
all away, as well as brushing up under the tables and cleaning the
table tops. The teachers are there as a support and guide.
“I like it so much because it’s fun and I get to be like the
teachers. Nobody else does it” Alanna, age 4
“I do sometimes” Sophie, age 4
“I don’t do wash up but tomorrow I will … but I love cleaning up
because there’s a brush!” Eanna, age 4
We consult with the children about all matters that relate to them
including their dining experience. We introduced a “today’s menu” to
the rooms so the children know each day what is on the menu. This
further includes them in their dining practice and displays visually
the healthy eating philosophy we have in Cheeky Cherubs. The
preschool children like to study the daily menu and discuss what’s on
for the day.
“Let’s see what’s on today!” Harry, age 4
“I can’t have couscous, I have my own dinner” Eanna, age 4
“When I go to work with my mum in town, mummy brings me
there. They have a baby menu with pictures and I get to pick
what I want. There is pizza and pasta with tomato sauce on it.”
Alanna, age 4
Eanna describes today’s
lunch to Felipe
Gabriel and Harry discuss the menu
Here is a sample of our room menus:
Todays
Menu
Breakfasts:
Corn flakes
Rice Krispies
Bran flakes
Toast
Porridge
Weetabix
Snack
Fruit plate
Lunch
Mixed Bean and Vegetable Pasta Bake
Snack
Italian Breadsticks
Snack
Chinese Style Stir Fry
These aspects also extend into our curriculum at different stages of
the year. Last year for Healthy Eating Week we created a
storyboard demonstrating the healthy eating habits in the crèche
that we sometimes take for granted. Dining also involves the
preparation of food and we encourage the children to be involved in
this as well. Each week the children are included in cutting their
fruit, making their scones or helping prepare smoothies for snack,
highlighting the awareness
around good eating.
Healthy Eating
Week 2013
The children help make
snack and our juicy fruit
salad!
They are accustomed to seeing
fruit being prepared
each day in the rooms.
Even the younger
children get involved!
Encouraging children to become involved in the making of
healthy homemade foods develops a positive attitude
towards food.
The pre-schoolers
help make their own
scones every week
Listening to parents is a core part of our practice. We have had
some wonderful feedback from them on our nutrition and dining
experience.
“Really, really impressive! Such variety and so nutritious! Would
love to dine at Cheeky Cherubs myself any day of the week! ”
“I never need to worry about the food. He appears to eat
better in the crèche than at home! The girls take into
consideration the whole routine of eating and celebrating a meal
together, it’s wonderful to see them all socialising in such a real
way.”
“Last night I asked my son “What did you have for dinner?”
He said "I had spaghetti and meat and lots of butter beans...
butter beans."
“Did you like it?”
"Yeah I like butter beans"
“As a parent I love the variety of foods that my little boy gets,
I know he is being well fed and is eating healthy fresh
ingredients”
We created a few storyboards for our parents to demonstrate the
fine dining experience in each of our rooms.
Our Sessional Room’s Fine Dining Experience
Cheeky Cherubs Early Years Schools 2013
I cannot hide the
fact that I feel a
great deal of
satisfaction and
pride in showcasing
the dining
experience of the
children in Cheeky
Cherubs Early
Years Schools. It
is an experience
that has grown
over time and is
now strongly part
of our daily
curriculum.
Preventing “hurry”
from entering into
this routine allows
each individual to
develop their own autonomy.
It can be a common pitfall to do things for children
that children are capable of doing themselves.
Though it may actually take more time initially to
support children to do age-appropriate tasks for
themselves, the child's self-confidence and
independence will grow as a result.
Each day at Cheeky Cheurbs the children set the
table.
They hand out placemats and then call out names and
hand out lunch bags to their friends.
The children open their
lunch boxes, packets,
yoghurts and drinks
themselves.
When the table is set and
everyone has been served
the teachers join and sit
at the tables with the
children, eating and
conversing with the
children and modelling
table manners.
Through this important
daily ritual children
learn to be social, caring, and self-directed diners in
group settings. Most importantly, children learn to
listen to and manage their own feelings of being full
or hungry.
It is important that parents create the same
opportunity for their children at home. It is of great
benefit for them to develop this necessary life skill.
Our Preschool Room’s Fine Dining Experience
Cheeky Cherubs Early Years Schools 2013
Eanna setting the table
Thomas and Myles pouring
the drinks
Sophie giving out the cups
Emily serving herself tuna pasta
bake
Dinner time
Jen joins the children at dinner
Riain tidies away his leftovers
Dinner is a social time
Our Toddler Room’s Fine Dining Experience
Cheeky Cherubs Early Years Schools 2013
Eamon handing out placemats
Ciara giving out plates
Emily handing a cup to Charlie
Charlie and Isobel taking fruit
at snack time
Charlie pours his milk
Isobel serves herself spaghetti
Our Wobbler Room’s Fine Dining Experience
Cheeky Cherubs Early Years Schools 2013
Cian gives out the place mats to his friends
Olivia gives out the cups
Grace hands out the plates for snack
Harry and Anna Jane help
themselves to snack
Trish joins the Wobblers for snack
Ianire serves herself mashed
potatoes while everyone else
tucks in
Aoibhinn empties her leftovers
into the bin
Conclusion
For us as providers it is so rewarding to see the progress and
growing independence of the children that attend here. Our
teachers here truly value this experience. We have progressed
ourselves from just having the basics of a table setting such as the
placemats and ware, to then adding in table runners, flowers and now
even a few goldfish as a centre piece! 
You can see the joy and satisfaction from the children as they eat
and socialise. This is also because we afford the children the time
and space to complete their tasks which makes them feel valued
and respected. The experience of dining is not a rushed ordeal.
They are learning through real experiences that will serve them as
a life skill. The children grow in competence and confidence as we
support them and set them up to succeed. In partnership with our
teachers the children make and develop warm and supportive
relationships in the community that is their room and crèche. They
are confident and self-reliant and gain increasing control and coordination of body movements. We encourage them to make
healthy choices and create positive attitudes to nutrition, hygiene
and routine.
Parents are benefitting as their children become independent
thinkers and doers. They implement the same routines at home and
are sometimes amazed at how much their children are allowed to do
and actually do. It gives them confidence as parents, they are
after all the experts of their own children.