Dawn Feb, 28, 2007

The Fridge Magnet

I’m interested in the metaphor of “The fridge magnet” and what it says about how children and parents share information, sticking art and notices on the fridge door, AND what draws us to the fridge in terms of food choices and nutrition. I think that ECE, in taking a more age appropriate child-centered approach, can help rethink child’s nutrition by relocalizing the discussion about food in the thoughts, mind and expression of children themselves. How do they learn to interact with food, what do they think about it, what draws them to it or repels them. How can we get them to explore food through play (though not abuse of food), inquiry, creativity, imagination and science. Will they experiment and really develop their own personal relationship with food as part of their lives, AND can that in turn be used to teach the parent about the foods that most positively engage children.

Since children learn about food from adults, and do not really have much opportunity to learn about food on their own and with their peers unmediated by parents and adult culture. And I’d like to explore this more.