Fruit

StartSmart Pilot School : HKSPC Hong Kong Bank Foundation Nursery School

《Fresh Fruit Juice Is Not the Only Choice》
Start eating fruit with sensory experience

Stage 1: Introduction

As some children either prefer only a few fruits or fail to chew fruit thoroughly, parents choose to feed them with freshly squeezed juice for more nutrition. However, this reduces their intake of dietary fibre from whole fruit.

Both family and school play an important role of fostering children’s fruit-eating habit. The HKSPC Hong Kong Bank Foundation Nursery School participated in the StartSmart@school.hk Pilot Project and planned a number of fruit-themed activities: exploring the structure of fruits, making fruit salad, having physical activities, playing in sing-along groups, painting, and learning with themes. Through visual, olfactory, gustatory and sensory stimulation, children were encouraged to eat different fruits. Besides, children attempted to create fruit-themed lyrics. It reinforced their understanding of fruit and developed their artistic ability.

Stage 2: Start Smart!

Live: Fruit Hunt

Objective: To learn the names of fruits and observe the appearance and internal structure of fruit.

Time: 30 minutes

Materials: An apple, a banana, an orange, a pitaya, a ‘mystery bag’, and a plastic knife.

Let’s GO!

1. The teacher puts the apple, banana, orange and pitaya inside the ‘mystery bag’.
   
   
2. Children have to describe the appearance and colour of the fruit. Then they draw the fruit out of the bag. They feel the fruit in their hands to understand their shapes.
   
   
3. The teacher then cuts up the fruit. The children observe their structure (e.g. seeds) and describe the differences between the outer and the inner side of the fruit, e.g. colours, etc.

Live : Fitness Game

Objective : Children can have at least 30 minutes of physical exercise.

Time : 30 minutes

Materials : A basket, different types of fruit models, hurdles, and a CD player.

Let’s GO!

1. The whole class do some warm-up exercise together, like stretching, jogging and jumping.
   
   
2. Divide the class into four groups. One kid picks up a fruit model and leaps across the hurdles. Then he/she puts the fruit model into the basket at the destination.
   
   
3. The kid then walks back to the starting point and strikes the hand of the next kid in the queue, and so on. The group that first completes the game wins.
   
   
4. End the activity by some cool-down exercise.