Testimonials and results from ECEs
“The favourite recipe of all were the okonomiyaki cabbage pancakes the children simply couldn’t get enough of them!”
“The teachers and children at Mt Roskill Baptist Kindergarten have really enjoyed the programme and we have all learned a lot. Some highlights for us have been the science experiments, the growing of the seeds, and the cooking. We really like the recipe ideas which are so nice and easy and fun to make. The children have enjoyed tasting different foods. I really enjoy gardening with the children, and baking too. It has been helpful for me to increase my knowledge through this programme."
Here are some comments by some parents:
"Nethra loves to do gardening. Once we planned to plant some herbs and a tomato plant, she helped to prepare soil and planted the tomato plant. She was not satisfied with the place where we planted it, so she pulled it out without our knowledge and tried to plant in other place. We all enjoyed her involvement and caring for plants."
"Bilaal loves to get involved in cooking and gardening activities."
"Nehemiah already loves cooking since the age of 2. But with this programme he has become more cautious and minds 'safety' in the kitchen and garden."
Anna Bosman - Mt Roskill Baptist Kindergarten
“As an ECE teacher at a centre which provides meals, it amazes me how much the eating patterns and diets of children have changed over the years...and it's not for the better!
The "Know Me, Eat Me" programme is a welcome breath of fresh air for parents and caregivers in the struggle to get good food into our children and improve their outlook on vegetables and healthy eating.
The programme is delivered in a variety of mediums which cater to all of our children's diverse learning styles. The practical lessons in which children get to cook and create using the focus vegetable provide excitement and encouragement to try things they would normally reject.
This is a fun and informative programme. Its easy to use resources are cleverly designed to support children’s learning across all developmental domains and core learning areas.
I highly recommend the "Know Me Eat Me" programme. Congratulations on creating an outstanding programme Amy!"
Dorissa Corbett - Educator at Kindercare Upper Hutt
“We really enjoyed each months focus vegetable/fruit or food group. The resources were fantastic and very easy to use and understand. The interactive stories the children loved watching that we eventually printed out the slides and made them into a book which we still refer to and children still choose to read on their own. The favourite recipe of all were the okonomiyaki cabbage pancakes the children simply couldn’t get enough of them!”
Emma Nickson-Clark, MIT Children’s Education Centre
"We have really enjoyed being a part of this healthy food pilot programme with Amy. We have found the resources extremely user friendly and age appropriate for Kindergarten children. The children have been really engaged and excited to discover each new food, there have been many conversations and discoveries made along the way.
Everyone is keen to give the food a try and we get shown lots of thumbs up that they like it!
We like the way the programme provides information about the food through a visual PowerPoint presentation and we have used this resource as a way to share information with the children.
We have also been able to share the recipes with our families and many have gone home to make the recipes for their families.
This programme is great! It fits in really nicely with our other programmes that also promote healthy food – Enviroschools and the Heart Foundation’s Healthy Heart Programme."
Julie Crawley - Head Teacher, Cottle Kindergarten, Upper Hutt
“For milk month we decided to find someone who had an animal to milk and one of our families had a goat that they were happy to bring in and milk for us.
We made some fresh cheese yesterday with herbs from our garden and some butter today. The cheese went down a treat and we sent little pats of butter home. Thanks for all the hard work you have put in to developing this programme. We are having a great time.”