Fruit

StartSmart Pilot School : Christian Evangelical Centre Lok Fu Kindergarten

《Sing and Eat Fruit with ‘Puppet’》
Encourage children to think and move

Stage 1: Introduction

Encourage children to get in touch with music in daily life: it can enhance their sensory and rhythmic sensitivity. The school uses songs with healthy themes, together with interesting gestures and movements so as to instil the concepts of healthy living into the children.

Through puppet storytelling and fruit song, teachers in Christian Evangelical Centre Lok Fu Kindergarten introduced children to the names, colours and characteristics of fruits. Pupils were also shown how fruits were cut open so that they learnt more about their internal structures. They experienced the natural tastes (like ‘sweet’ and ‘sour’) and textures (like ‘soft’ and ‘hard’) as well. Meanwhile, through other learning activities, such as supermarket visits, the school hoped to reinforce in them the message ‘fruit is healthy’.

Besides, the school distributed the ‘Fruit Diary Card’, published by the Department of Health, to pupils as homework. Children then brought their cards home and recorded their habit of eating fruit with family. This exercise motivated children to eat fruit every day. It also sent home the message about the benefits of eating fruit, and also about developing children’s interest in fruit.

Stage 2: Start Smart!

Live: Puppet Theatre

Objective: To teach children to tell the names, colours and characteristics of common fruits; to show children that fruit is good for health and to help them cultivate a habit of eating fruit.

Time: 20 minutes

Materials: Fresh fruits, and a puppet.

Let’s GO!

1. The Puppet did not eat fruit before, yet the doctor has reminded him (or her) that fruit contains an abundant amount of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, and that an adequate daily intake of fruit may improve our immune system and prevent diseases. Therefore, the Puppet starts to eat fruit every day.
   
   
2. The Puppet shares some common fruits with the kids.
   
   
3. The Puppet takes out apples, oranges and bananas. He asks the kids about the colours, shapes, smells and other characteristics of the fruits.
   
   
4. Ask the kids how they usually eat these fruits.
   
   
5. The teacher peels and halves the fruits, and asks the kids to observe them and tell their names, colours and characteristics. Then the kids are asked to try the fruits. The teacher encourages them to describe the tastes and textures (that is, whether they are sweet, sour, soft, hard, etc.).
   
   
6. The kids then have to discuss what fruits they should bring to school the next day.
   
   
7. The teacher and the pupils sing the song ‘Yummy Fruit’, using the gestures and movements as suggested below:

    

   Lyrics:	Actions:
   Red apple	Children who have apples lift them up.
   Yellow banana	Children who have bananas lift them up.
   Fruit is sweet and delicious, Everybody likes to eat it.	Children who have other fruits should place them in front of their noses.

    

8.  The teacher teaches the kids the word ‘fruit’.

5 Highlights in Improving Children’s Health

1. Long-term goal:
   Apart from teaching children nutritional knowledge, the school also helps them develop a correct dietary attitude and healthy habits in the long run so that they can grow up healthily.

    

2. Have fun with songs:
   When learning about the characteristics of different fruits, children may perform better if they are told stories or asked to sing.

    

3. Sensory experiences:
   Children are asked to bring some fruits to school and share with their classmates. They have to tell the different tastes and textures of different fruits. These descriptions are recorded in pictures and texts on the ‘record sheet for tastes of fruits’.

    

4. Daily record making:
   The school gives the children the ‘Fruit Diary Card’; once children eat fruit at home, they will put a sticker on the card. They are also encouraged to prepare and serve the fruits; if they do so, they colour the leaf of a fruit icon on the record sheet for record keeping.

    

5. Sustainable motivation:
   One month later, the kids should return their ‘Fruit Diary Cards’. The teacher will reward them so as to reinforce their habit of eating fruit.