The below article has been written by Lenieve Bowden, Service Manager at Busy Bees at Mitchelton
The Discovery Tour aims to teach young children how delicious, healthy, and even fun eating fresh fruit and veggies can be. Our Researchers toured the whole store, where they were given plenty of opportunities to test all five senses and learn about where our food comes from.
From the moment they left with their Educators in tow, the children were engaged in so many learning opportunities, from road safety (Sophia K knew that we could not cross the road until the light went green, and confidently shared that with her friends), construction work in the community and why it was happening (they build of lots of new apartments across the road for people to live in), the importance of staying in group to be safe, healthy eating, and exploring the concept of where the food they eat every day actually comes from.
When they arrived at Woolworths at the Brookside Shopping Centre, there were many ooooh’s and ahhhh’s from the children as they walked through all the different departments.
The children experienced the feeling of dough and how it goes from a soft little fluffy ball to a long soft hot dog bun.
They then headed over to the deli for a game of ‘hide and seek’ trying to find the hot dog to go in the bun.
They explored the feeling of ice and discussed hot and cold, and why it was important for the uncooked seafood to be kept cold and fresh.
They observed Jason the Butcher perform some pretty skilled cutting and mincing whilst discussing the importance of safety equipment, gloves, and glasses.
The children all received some beautiful fresh fruit for morning tea and discussed the importance of washing our hands, and how to handle and prepare food correctly so people do not become sick.
Each child was given a product to scan through the cash register, which led to some interesting conversations about groceries, what they buy when they shop with their families, and how much it costs.
The children ended the day with a reflective conversation about their trip and shared their favourite parts:
“The cold fridge where the milk lives.” – Tilly G
“How the big machine cut the bread thin and thick.” – Ngaire N
“There were lots of colourful vegies and they are so healthy.” – Audrey H
“Getting the bag with the carrot hat, cards and a sticker book.” – Alba O
