To Food Play or not to Food Play?

Food play has historically been a fundamental part of nursery life. Who hasn’t seen a tuff tray with different cereals alongside some farm animals to create a beautiful, crunchy scene? Or some coloured rice to mix and pour? Or cooked and uncooked pasta for threading and sensory play?  

But… with the cost-of-living crisis, the rise in use of food banks, and a cohort that has children who may be entitled to the deprivation supplement – should we be playing with food?  And then throw it away? Looking through social media at all the interesting children’s activities involving food play – how many meals could that make?  It’s food for thought. 

At Banana Moon Bromley we have removed most food play activities and replaced them with alternatives. We have done this, to be sensitive to the needs of our local community and to show consideration for those who may be facing challenges. We also hope that in some small way we are doing our part to reduce food waste. According to WWF “when we waste food, we also waste all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. And if food goes to the landfill and rots, it produces methane—a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide.” Read the full article here.  https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste 

As part our commitment to our local community, our parents and children are supporting Bromley Food Bank with donations collected at the nursery, as well as the nursery donation of rice, pasta and cereal, that would otherwise have been used for play and then thrown away.  More information about Bromley Food Bank can found here https://bromleyborough.foodbank.org.uk/ and details of how to get help here https://bromleyborough.foodbank.org.uk/get-help/how-to-get-help/

Or local church, St Mary’s, is a drop off point for Bromley Food Bank https://stmarys-bromley.org.uk/community/foodbankcollection/  and we will be taking the children there, to drop off all of our donations. 

So, what could the alternatives be? Instead of food, a nature scene can have sand and soil, or leaves and twigs from the garden. Water play allows for pouring and filling, and with the addition of coloured water, the children can mix and swirl. Loose parts of pipe cleaners and strings, beads and wooden rings, provide endless opportunities for threading and practicing fine motor control. And with the inclusion of reusable-coloured resources, colour sorting and counting can be achieved without waste. There really are so many alternatives that can be found, suitable for each age group. The local scrap scheme is fantastic place to look for inspiration https://www.workandplayscrapstore.org.uk/

With sensory play – shaving foam is a popular option, and it does look like fun, but the back of the can says “keep out of reach of children”. Instead, we revert to different types of “goo”. Homemade playdough or silly foam designed for use in children’s play. 

That isn’t to say that there is no place for food in the learning experience. If we are going to use food, then we are going to eat it! Practice cutting fruit for a snack, or slice vegetables to go on top of a pizza or mix all the ingredients needed for a flap jack, or a yummy cake. And the youngest children can handle different fruits and vegetables at snack time, so they can still explore and taste. All fun and delicious – and no wasted food. 

Then, there is edible paint. Whilst we can see the attraction of paint that can be eaten, so our youngest children are not at risk when some inevitably ends up being tasted, but with our early years’ professionals modelling where the paint is supposed to end up, non-toxic paint, suitable for children, might be a great alternative. 

All activities are carefully risk assessed, and for those involving food, apart from choking or spills, there is the added complexity of food allergies, which must still be considered with food play – even if the child is not going to eat it. By removing food from play we are mitigating some of the risk and keeping our allergy action plans for mealtimes. 

So our children learn to eat their food and play with the paint. Not the other way around! 

If you have any questions, or want to learn more about what we do, please email the nursery at info@bananamoon-bromley.co.uk