Healthy Eating and A New Garden !

We at Gingerbread House Daycare are committed to helping kids get excited about eating healthy. So we have partnered with a naturopathic physician and a Vancouver horticulturist to help our kids get excited about growing and eating healthy food.

Let’s grow healthy kids together! Teachers with more knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating can not only lead happier, healthier lives- they can be stronger role models for our kids and be better advocates for school wellness policies.

Since healthy teachers inspire healthy kids, we reached out to a local naturopathic physician who offered us a free 2-hour nutrition class that was fun and inspiring. Not a diet class, but basic nutritional information that was digestible and practical!

Kids are so open to new ideas when they are in a garden. And the staff at Gingerbread are grateful to have partnered with Lynsey, a passionate horticulturist, to create a sensory garden in our front two garden beds. The garden will encourage active learning by giving the chance for kids to taste, smell and learn about herbs and native plants. Lynsey also hosts worm composting workshops for City Farmer, Vancouver’s composting demonstration garden. Preschoolers get so excited about worms and the Daycare staff see this upcoming workshop as an excellent opportunity for our little ones to learn about organic gardening.

This is going to be an exciting school year and we are looking forward to further inspiring our kiddos by starting conversations about planting gardens and healthy eating using books, posters and activities.

Here’s to growing healthy kids together!

Sensory Gardens at our Daycare :) We have a worm composting station too! Kids of all ages love to learn about organic gardening. (Thanks Lynsey for all the awesomeness!!)

Healthy Lunches for Preschool and Daycare Kids

Send your kids back to school with healthy foods in their lunch box! Summer is coming to a close and school is right around the corner.  If you are a parent, you are probably cherishing the peace and calm from having your kids at home all summer looking to be entertained.  But one of the more challenging things as a parent is coming up with healthy and nutritious snacks on the go for your children – that they’ll eat.  

Consider purchasing a bento style lunchbox (we like Onyx stainless steel lunch boxes which are more sustainable on the environment and decrease packaging waste) so you can easily arrange healthy food items. And remember to buy organic whenever possible (especially for animal products like dairy, poultry, and meat). 

Here's some helpful lunch menu ideas with healthy food hacks to follow!

MONDAY

• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Baby Carrots + Ranch dressing (consider making your own without the additives and preservatives)
• Peaches
• Applesauce

TUESDAY

• Turkey Slices or roll ups
• Fresh Berries
• Yogurt (sugar free, you can add fresh fruit)
• Trail Mix

WEDNESDAY

• Hummus
• Pita Bread
• Grape Tomatoes
• Cucumber slices
• Sliced Oranges

THURSDAY

• Cheese Quesadilla
• Guacamole
• Salsa
• Tortilla Chips
• Strawberries

FRIDAY

• Shredded BBQ chicken + Cheese Kabobs
• Red Pepper Slices
• Apples
• Carrots with almond butter

Interested in learning more about healthy products and foods for your kids, check out the Environmental Working Groups website. They have everything covered from the best sunscreens to the top rated pesticides in produce.

Water

Plain water is the best drink for kids (and adults). If your child is used to juice and you want to transition her/him to water, try adding a few berries to water for some taste? Some frozen blueberries or raspberries can add some zing to water and keep it cool at the same time. 

Sneaky vegetable hack

While you’re steaming carrots, sweet potato or cauliflower for dinner, set a cup or two aside. Blend with ¾ cup of water (more if the mixture is thick) and when smooth and liquidy, add to a thermos lunch, like soup, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs. Combine well, and your kids will never know.

Seed/Nut butter apple

Keep skin on apple and use a corer/slicer to remove the core and cut the apple into even pieces. Assemble the apple back together and secure with a rubber band. Add a spoonful of your favourite nut or seed butter (pumpkin or sunflower butters are delicious and safe for “nut-free” schools) inside the cored section and wrap the entire apple in plastic wrap.

When your child unwraps the apple and takes off the rubber band, the apple pieces already have a layer of yummy spread on top!

Reusable lunch containers

Some schools are starting to crack down on plastic bags and wrap and are encouraging parents and students to pack lunches in reusable containers instead. Bento boxes are especially popular. They are already sectioned so lunch and recess snacks are all conveniently packed in one container. Just make sure the plastic is BPA free. You can buy stainless steel snack containers now as well which are much safer in a classroom than glass. I like Onyx, it's expensive, but it'll last a lifetime!

Lunchbox Love

A quick search on Pinterest will lead you to some downloadable daily affirmations that you can print out, cut up and include one in your child’s lunch bag every day. For younger kids that don’t yet read, include pictures of hearts or cute animals hugging to symbolize your love!  

Summary

Our staff suggest starting to teach children when they're 1-3 years of age about eating the "rainbow."

Always pack a protein, dairy, meat, nuts and seeds (check your school’s policy on nuts). Also, include fresh cut up veggies, one or two fruit options, apple sauce, cut up apples, peaches, pears. Smaller children do better with cut up fruit. Let kids choose what goes into their lunch, and they will be more likely to eat it. Include more food items than you think they are going to need. Kids self-regulate. Packed with an ice pack, the items that return home can be after-school snacks.

If you are going to use pre-packaged foods, please check food labels carefully to monitor the sugar content in order to avoid hidden or added sugars and preservatives.

One last back to school tip is to send your kids off to school with a reminder of the importance of hand washing prior to eating their lunch and remind them again to do so when they return home. Frequent hand washing is the best defense against getting sick. Singing the alphabet while hand washing can make sure that they’re doing it long enough to count.

To your child's ultimate well-being!

Gingerbread House Daycare

Setting a Good Example for Your Child

Over the past 40 years that Gingerbread House Day Care has been taking care of the children in our community, we've talked to thousands of parents about what it's like for them to raise a healthy child. Our parents have shared with us their burning questions, greatest challenges, and successes! Of course Razia, our Day Care supervisor who's been there from the start and raised 3 successful children of her own, has taught us all plenty as well.

As parents, we know how important it is to give our kids a healthy start and the first several years of their lives is the most important. We also understand how hard a job parenting is! So we're using this platform to help share tips on raising a healthy preschooler. Please visit frequently and keep reading as we'll continue to share the latest information on a variety of topics to help our kids reach their fullest potential!

How Can I Set A Good Example for My Child?

Remember parents, you are your child's best role model. For this reason, try to make the best choices health wise for yourself and you'll be helping your child to do the same. She/he will learn healthy habits from you first and will want to imitate everything you say and do.

Clinical trials have confirmed that the person or persons a child spends most of his/her time with - parents, guardians, grandparents - will have the greatest influence on their behaviors like eating healthy, turning the TV off, and engaging in physical activity. Teachers and caregivers are not as influential. 

And parents, the great bonus of taking accountability for the health of your life and setting an example for your kids is more energy! More energy to be the best version of yourself so you can fulfill your life purpose:) 

How about trying these tips for involving your whole family to adopt healthier habits:

• A great way to start the day off right with your child is to eat breakfast with them. Try a whole grain cereal with sliced fruit or sprouted toast with almond butter and a banana. 
• Let your child help with healthy meal preparation. Children are more likely to try healthy foods if she’s involved in preparing them.
• Get active together. Go to the park on the weekends, take walks together, or kick a ball around in your backyard. This will get you both moving!

Best,

Gingerbread House Day Care Staff

Sugary Drinks

Our kids drink too much sugar, with the school year starting, let's rethink their drinks! 

Are you aware that fruit drinks, sport drinks, sweetened waters and teas, energy drinks, and sodas are the primary source of added sugars in Canadian diets. In fact, sugary drinks are a huge contributing factor to the rise of childhood obesity in Canada. 

Fortunately, health groups and physicians across North America are working with policy makers to encourage educational campaigns and other initiatives to help parents make informed decisions about their kids' diets. 

The World Health Organization is urging all nations to implement a sugar tax. Many countries and US states have already begun to do so. The result has been very impressive with sugar consumption precipitously decline. 

Additionally, there's been a concerted effort to use money generated from the sugar tax to fund public health campaigns encouraging children and adults to choose healthier drink alternatives, like water, milk, plant and nut milks, and 100% juice with no added sugars or artificial sweeteners. 

Through sugar taxes, cities and states across North America and other parts of the world are working to decrease diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. The revenue used from the sugar tax can also be used to support clean drinking water programs in schools, walking trails and bike paths, and many other health-promoting initiatives. 

Access to healthy drinks is crucial to helping kids grow up at a healthy weight and avoid diabetes and heart disease. Who doesn’t want that? 

The staff at Gingerbread House Daycare are committed to supporting parents and the government with initiatives that improve the health and welfare of children everywhere!

Summer Events: Maple Ridge Farms and Cultus Lake

Hello Parents!

It's unimaginable how fast this summer has been, it's literally August and the kids return to school in a matter of weeks!

It has been an amazing summer however and our summer field trips have been off the hook awesome. If you haven't snagged a look at the pictures from our trip to Maple Ridge Farms and Cultus Lake, please do! It was such a good time for the kids to be out and adventuring. 

As much as we would like summer to last forever, with Fall around the corner, it's a good time to start planning for it. But for now, let's really, really enjoy August shall we? Here's to the last month's worth of lemonade stands and sidewalk chalk. 

Kids Need Water Not Fruit Juice

Fruit juice may taste great to your child, but it's loaded with sugars that can contribute to adverse health conditions like obesity, tooth decay, and overall poor nutrition. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recent recommendations state that fruit juice should not be given to infants under 12 months of age because it offers no nutritional benefit to them. Water and breast milk should be the preferred drink. 

After 12 months of age, the AAP sates that infants can be given limited amounts of juice each day but advices that for all age groups:

• Fruit juice offers no nutritional benefits over whole fruits. Whole fruits and vegetables have nutrients and fiber while fruit juice is loaded with quick processing sugars (this includes fruit juices that have no sugar added).
• Children should not be given fruit juice at bedtime or as a treatment or management for diarrhea.
• For children ages one through 6 years of age it's still recommended to limit fruit juice to no more than 4 ounces per day. Read the label and make sure it is 100% fruit juice, a lot of juices are loaded with sugar and have very little 'real' juice if any. It should also be pasteurized for safety and don't give juice in a sippy cup or bottle, this is very important for preventing cavities.

These are guidelines — and with any guideline, there may be exceptions (if your child is on an iron supplement, for example, your doctor may want you to give it with orange juice). If you have questions about this recommendation, or anything else about what your child should eat or drink, talk to your pediatrician.

Here is the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on fruit juice: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/139/6/e20170967

Social and Emotional Learning

Meeting children's social emotional learning (SEL) needs in preschool can enable them to thrive mentally, physically, and academically in kindergarten and well beyond into adulthood. 

Developing social-emotional skills during preschool includes being able to get along and cooperate with others, manage strong feelings, focus attention, and persist at challenging tasks.

Social emotional skills developed during the preschool years are important because they are critical for long-term school and life success. Early development of these skills is reached to have a number of positive adult outcomes, including: good physical and mental health, interpersonal relationships, education, employment, and more.

In conclusion, preschool SEL programming has the potential to reduce the school readiness gap and help children become healthy, thriving adults.