Children’s workshops may be conducted anywhere that children congregate. This may be schools, parks, recreation centers, churches or community centers, anywhere. The core of the children’s workshops conducted by CHANA Project consists of 8 basic, fun themes. These themes are designed to get children excited about healthy eating.
The workshops, under the banner of “A Festival of Foods” incorporate the EAT model for teaching nutrition to kids. The EAT model engages children by encouraging them to use their five basic senses to learn all they can about the foods they eat.
This approach is highly effective for several reasons. First, children are having fun. Secondly, they are using their natural curiosity to learn about foods. Third they get to experience food in a non-threatening environment. Fourth, they see other eating and enjoying foods that they think they might not and may be motivated by peer influence.
The core workshop themes include such titles as: Food and Culture, A Rainbow of Foods, High Five, Cool Snacks for Cool Kids, Breakfast on the Run, Let’s Eat the Pyramid Way, Food as Art and A festival of Foods Fun Day. The latter is a great way to involve parents and open up communication about healthy eating between parent and child.