Health, Safety, Nutrition and Well Being ELCC - 240

Assignment – 1
Student Name

Suppoting Nutrition
For Young Children
 Cooking Experience
The cooking experience is first of all very relaxing for all the children as
they were learning a life skill without any stress or danger. The experience
is also able to provide the children with confidence of managing adult
responsibilities and tasks with success. Moreover, there was also team
work involved during the preparation where children were learning to help
and assist each other for task completion.

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Cooking Experience
Step by Step
1. Wash Hands.

2. Introduce the
Ingredients.
3. Guide the Process to
children

2. Introduce the
Ingredients.
 4. Emcourage the
children to participate
and prepare
5. Let them enjoy their process and meal
6. Cleaning at the End
 Contents Recipe
Preheat Bread Slices to a normal temperature

Take butter knife and put some butter on it.

Spread the cheese on all over the bread slice as evenly as possible

Wholegrain Cheese Garlic

Stay wise with portion distribution
Bread Slices Cheese
Double the bread in half Diagonally

Add garlic cheese to enhance the taste even further

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 Health
Guidelines
Always take care that the preparation is clean and disinfectant.

Make the children wash their hands before indulging in the cooking activity.

It is advisable that the foods are healthy and easy to work with specially for children.

Check the expiry dates on the food items before letting the children to eat them.

Teach the child about portion sizes to encourage healthy eating habits from a young age.

Involve the child in spreading butter on the bread to encourage participation and learning.

We should use for whole grain or whole wheat bread for added fiber and nutrients.

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Importance of Healthy Food and Health Foundations in early Childhood settings

Healthy Food Is essential for overall development of

children. Food not only satisfies hunger but holds a larger
significance that is based the following developments:
1. Physical – Provides nutrients and energy, ends hunger
2. Social and Cultural – Food and food habits develop
social skills like sharing food on an occasion
3. Emotional – Likes a dislikes regarding food items affect
our emotions
(Barbara & Deborah, 2019)
 Safety
Guidelines
Avoid using sharp tools for cutting and if needed then it should be under strict
supervision.

Make sure to utilize the food items and dispose the waste appropriately at the end of
the activity.

The care taker should always be vigilant regarding any unfortunate incidents of
choking.

Children can easily slip on spilled liquids, so keeping the area clean reduces this risk
and promotes a safe environment.

When using appliances involving heat, teach the child about fire safety rules such as
not touching hot surfaces and staying away from flames.

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Nutritional Aspects
Vitamin A
Cheese
Protein

Calcium, Phosphorus

Vitamin B12

Zinc (Arnarson, 2019)

Calories: 82

Bread Fat: 1.1g

Sodium: 144mg
Carbohydrates: 13.8g
Fiber: 1.9g
Sugars: 1.4g (Health Canada, 2022)
Protein: 4g
Manganese: 0.7mg

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Potential Risks
• Sharp knives should be discouraged as children can harm themselves.
• Check for allergies beforehand and use alternative ingredients if
necessary (e.g., dairy-free butter).
• Children might choke on large pieces of bread or toppings.. therefore
small bites should be encouraged
• Germs and bacteria getting into the body if thr hands are not properly
clean during the task.
• Butter and toppings might spill, causing a slippery surface. We should
cover the workspace with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth.
• Burning incidents might occur

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 s
 Ensuring the child handles safe, age-appropriate tools is crucial to avoid accidents. Work
in the Reggio way also demonstrates that children should be given age appropriate
materials so that they can learn and gain confidence for the coming life.
 Encouraging the child to help with cleanup can be challenging but is an important part of
the process.
 A 5-year-old may lose interest quickly, requiring patience and frequent encouragement.
 Tasks will take longer than they would if done by an adult, which can be a challenge if
time is limited.

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Future Benefits
This plan can be highly beneficial for future experiences with children in several ways:

a. Children can learn fundamental kitchen skills such as spreading, using utensils safely, and

following instructions.

a. A sense of accomplishment is achieved within the children.

b. This plan can work as the guiding principle for future such activities.

c. Children will become confident and independent for future endeavours with food, food

preparation and cooking from a very early age with such a plan.

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Success
Motor and Cognitive skill development in children as they are handling the
bread, butter and butter knives.

Choosing and arranging toppings allows the child to express creativity and
make their own culinary creations.

Participating in food preparation teaches responsibility and the importance of

completing tasks.

Involvement in food preparation can lead to a better understanding of healthy

eating and an interest in trying new foods.

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 Overall Reflection
The children responded with great enthusiasm for this
activity as it was something new and fun for them. It
was also fun for me because handling children and
making them smile always cheers me up. I enjoyed
instructing basic guidelines to the children and seeing
their happy faces at the end of the task. Also it was
challenging to keep all the children at the same pace
while executing this activity. While doing this activity
for the next time, I would try to work with more
ingredients.

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 References
■ Arnarson, A. A. (2019, March 29). Butter 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Effects. Healthline.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/butter
■ Barbara, P., & Deborah, K. (2019). Healthy foundations in early childhood settings. Nelson, Toronto,
Ontario, 2019.
■ Health Canada. (2022, December 12). Use food labels. Canada Food Guide.
https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/healthy-eating-recommendations/using-food-labels/
■ Health Canada. (2024, February 20). Meal planning from start to finish in 4 steps. Canada Food Guide.
https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/cooking-skills/meal-planning-start-finish-4-steps
■ Mooradian, A. (2023, October 8). Bread with Butter: How Healthy? Wildgrain.
https://wildgrain.com/blogs/news/buttered-bread-and-butter-healthy#:~:text=Although%20it%20may%20be
%20assumed,people%20lose%20or%20maintain%20weight
.
■ Wurm, J. P. (2005). Working in the Reggio Way: A beginner’s guide for American teachers.
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED564307

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Thanks!
Any questions?

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