Fruit

StartSmart Pilot School : Ho Tak Kindergarten and Child Care Centre (Sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen)

《Story of the Obese King On Diet》
Design your creative fruit refreshments for an obese person

Stage 1: Introduction

Even if children have tendency towards obesity, parents should never urge them to go on diet or take any weight-losing measures. Instead, they should refer to the ‘Dietary Recommendations for Young Children’ in the Nutrition Guidelines for Children Aged 2-6, and provide their children with a balanced diet. We suggest that positive ways be used to improve their dietary habits. Together with sufficient physical exercise, children can control their weight effectively.

Eating an adequate amount of fruit every day is vital in maintaining a good dietary habit. Fruit contains rich dietary fibre, vitamin and other nutrients. Salty, greasy and sugary snacks can be replaced by fruits to avoid too much fats being stored in the body. Schools can create a joyful atmosphere where teachers and students can eat fruit together.

Ho Tak Kindergarten and Child Care Centre has designed the game ‘Transformation of the Obese King’ and thematic activities; Children participate in the physical game and design fruit refreshments for the king; they can decide how the obese king can become healthy again. The activities reinforce the idea that fruit is good for health.

In addition, teachers have re-designed the lunch menu for whole-day classes according to the Nutrition Guidelines for Children Aged 2-6. Food is mostly steamed and baked to retain their freshness and reduce fat intake in human bodies. Meanwhile, the school provides fruit or vegetable as refreshments for half-day classes, and fruit is given at healthy birthday parties. To facilitate parents’ collaboration, they are given brochures, and also invited to seminars on physical activity, with a view to solicitating their effort to encourage their children to do more exercise and eat fruit every day. The project concluded with enthusiastic support from devoted parents.

Stage 2: Start Smart!

Live: Transformation of the Obese King

Objective: Children learn that fruit is vital for health.

Time: 30 minutes

Materials: A computer, a Powerpoint file of the story, an overhead projector, a music CD of ‘fruit songs’, a CD player, some plates, fruit models, other food models and a poster of the ‘fruit songs’.

Let’s GO!

1. First, the teacher tells the story of the ‘Obese King’ with the aid of the computer and the projector.
   
   
2. Then, using the Powerpoint file, the teacher discusses with the children why the king became obese. Children should think about the reasons for that, and possible measures to combat it.
   
   
3. Children then design fruit refreshments for the king.
   
   
4. Physical game: the teacher places the fruit models and other food models on the table.
   
   
5. The teacher gives each child a plate and makes them stand around the table.
   
   
6. When the music begins, children walk around the table. When the music stops, each child grabs a fruit/food model from the table as healthy refreshment for the king. The game can repeat numerous times.
   
   
7. After the game, the children tell each other about the choices they have made.
   
   
8. In the end, the teacher presents the poster and reads aloud the song text of ‘Yummy Fruits’. Children are also invited to insert the names of other fruits into the text to create their own songs.