Materská škola Kunerad

At our preschool, we actively work to reduce food waste and teach children to appreciate food. Together with the children, teachers, cooks, and parents, we look for ways to prevent food waste during snacks, lunches, and afternoon snacks. We involve children in simple but important activities that teach them not to waste food and that it can be used in meaningful ways.

Activities we do in kindergarten to reduce food waste:

• Children take appropriate portions. We teach them to put only as much food on their plates as they can actually eat. If they are still hungry, they can have seconds.
• Together, we talk about why it is important not to throw food away. Through pictures, games, and conversations, children learn the value of food.
• We monitor the amount of waste in the dining room. Children see how the food waste bin fills up, and we teach them how to reduce this amount.
• We encourage tasting new foods. We have introduced a "try at least one bite" rule, which helps motivate children not to reject new foods.
• We use organic waste from fruit and vegetables for compost. We collect peelings and leftovers from healthy snacks in a composter, which we all take care of together.
• Children can take home any food they don't manage to eat. This prevents unnecessary waste, especially when it comes to snacks.
• We dry bread crusts that the children do not finish. We store the crusts in a dry and suitable place, where we leave them to dry so that they can be reused.
• Parents bring us food and fruit that they no longer consume at home. For example, carrots, apples, pits, nuts, chestnuts, hay, and bread crusts.
• Together with the children, we take these dried or leftover foods to the forest to feed the animals. In winter, we visit the feeding station with a hunter and bring the dried treats we have collected for the forest animals.
• We organize environmental activities about where food comes from. The children learn about the "food journey" – from the soil to the plate, which helps them better understand why food should not be wasted.