Embracing food, culture, and community in early years education

The teacher plans a series of interactive classroom activities focusing on food and culture. The lessons were developed through the children’s interest of food as well as observation of play to introduce the concept of pizza, immersing children in collaborative learning opportunities to share knowledge and skills of their experiences with pizza. The teacher acknowledges the cultural and linguistic backgrounds throughout the activities with an example of engaging parents and carers to join the children in their pizza making experience. The steps taken to form positive partnerships with the local community complemented by classroom activities that promote children learning with their peers, enables the teacher to reflect upon their practice and determine the focus of future lessons.

Kids & Co Preschool is a privately-operated service located in Hurstville Grove, New South Wales. The preschool caters for children between 2 to 5 years of age. The early childhood teachers refer to the Early Years Learning Framework when planning and implementing their teaching to provide opportunities for children to demonstrate their learning.