The topic of food literacy comprice knowledge, skills and behaviors required to meet day-to-day and future food needs, and to obtain a healthy lifelong relationship with food (Vidgen & Callegos 2014).
Food is a key contributor to health, important for children's healthy growth and development. Many children consume most of their daily meals in kindergartens. As future preschool teachers, the early childhood teacher education (ECTE) students should be familiar with the children's eating development and knowledge of food. (Sansolios & Mikkelsen 2008).
Food literacy includes knowledge and skills in how to prepare and cook meals, and how to eat various novel food. This includes having thecourage to taste new, unusual, or cultural different foods and describe sensory qualities, and eating as cultural and social experiences (Vidgen & Callegos 2014).
My objective is to develop innovative research methods and to develop innovative teaching and learning methods in ECTE. Development of food litracy awareness is crucial to the students’ future behavior and attitude towards the meals in early childhood education and care (ECEC) facilities (in Norway, for children age 1-6). The ECTE students need to recognize the staff’s and thus their own importance as role models and as facilitators of children’s food literacy (Sansolios & Mikkelsen 2013). The ECTE students need to start reflecting on a connection between the staff’s organization and their interactions with the children about food and sensory activities during meals.
My research question is: Can observation schemas promote ECTE students´ reflections about the staff’s organization of meals in ECEC facilities?
It is important that children from a young age are learning what food to eat. Sansolios & Mikkelsen (2010), Sepp et al. (2006) argues that the staff are important as role models during meals to learn children about a healthful diet. Studies have investigated the effectiveness in adults acting as role models in encouraging children's acceptance of foods (Addessi et al 2005).
Greenhalgh et.al. (2009) investigated the effects of both positive and negative peer modelling on children's consumption of novel foods. They argue that younger children (age 3-4) are likely to resist an intervention that consists of exposure alone to certain foods, if they have witnessed expressions of disgust towards these foods. It is thus important to present a wide range of foods to be tasted sufficient times for the child to learn to like them.
Meals are opportunities for the children to learn new words and expressions related to food and sensory experience. Thus, it is important that the employees sit and eat with the children and talk about the food. Children`s learning about foodstuffs is also about developing a positive attitude towards food and getting a good relationship with a broad variety of foodstuffs (Wardle & Cooke 2008, Langholm & Tuset 2013). While learning about food literacy subjects the children need “hands on” experiences including tasting, smelling and touching various food products. When children are approaching and experiencing new and unknown food there are opportunities to learn new words and expressions related to foodstuffs and sensory experiences (Sansolios & Mikkelsen 2013, Addessi et. al. 2005).
Nielsen (2013) argues that the aim has to be food ”bildung” or food literacy in both the ECET and in the ECEC. Meals at the ECEC have potentials for leaning moments. The relationship between the preschool teacher, the child and the food available during meals are forming a learning arena for food “Bildung”. The concept of “Bildung” as used in Scandinavian languages means being educated for self-decision, co-decision and solidarity (Benn & Carlsson 2014).
