Our Menu
Afternoon tea is a mixture of healthy, cross-cultural foods to suit the seasons, activities and tastes of the children. Often children will participate in the preparation and cooking of snacks that we will then all enjoy eating for 2nd afternoon tea. Our children sit on mats in peer groups and chat with each other and an educator in an informal and social environment whilst eating a buffet of foods set on our menu plan.
All Centre educators are sensitive and responsive to each child’s daily nutritional needs, eating patterns, food preferences and dietary requirements and this is taken into consideration with menu planning. Furthermore we consider cultural differences in relation to health, nutrition and food preparation. Educators model healthy eating practices by serving a variety of nutritious foods, by doing healthy cooking activities within the program and joining the children at snack time. If there are dietary requirements that we need to be aware of please let us know so we can cater for them eg diabetes, allergies or intolerances.
Menu planning is done with great thought and collaboration with children. Our menu reflects the latest dietary guidelines “Australian Dietary Guidelines”.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines use the best available scientific evidence to provide information on the types and amounts of foods, food groups and dietary patterns that aim to:
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promote health and wellbeing
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reduce the risk of diet-related conditions
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reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Link to: Summary of Australian Dietary Guidelines
See Resources and Links – Nutrition Resources for the full Australian Dietary Guidelines and other nutrition publications
Educators and children design a menu each week containing their choice foods for afternoon. In between food times a “hungry box” is available in the kitchen to snack from. This contains fresh produce, sometimes from our kitchen garden.
