Private: BrightBites Blog

The COVID-19 pandemic has educators and students entering a new unprecedented chapter in public education; learning from home. As you continue on this learning curve, consider the unique opportunities at home for students to learn about food and healthy eating.  

In addition to meeting curriculum expectations, suggest that families use this time at home to provide students with hands-on opportunities that build important life skills, such as food literacy. Involving kids in growing, preparing and enjoying food allows them to practice numeracy and literacy without it feeling like schoolwork. It can provide a fun and tasty way to get a meal or snack on the table too. Consider having students share photos of the food they make and what they learned from the experience.

Over the next few weeks we will share ideas for teachers to incorporate food and nutrition into home-based learning, starting with ideas related to numeracy and literacy (e.g., read a food-related book, utilize vegetables and fruit as units in math questions, explore different cultural food practices, investigate the sources of food in your community).  

Nurture healthy eaters. Making time for family meals and snacks, free from distractions (e.g., screens), at regularly scheduled times, can help reinforce healthy eating messages while allowing students to put their learning to practice. As you share healthy eating messaging and activities with families, be mindful of your sources of information. Continue to use Canada’s Food Guide for evidence-based information.