Ruby Saltbush

Celebrating Mealtime

Celebrating the ritual of mealtime with our children in class is an important aspect of Steiner Education. 

Eating involves far more than just putting food into your mouth. It invokes the pleasure of many senses—smell, touch, taste, sight, and even hearing. Gathering around the table also creates a sense of community. Children not only benefit from the food served at the table, but from the bonds that are created with their classmates and teachers. It’s a chance for them to experience an in-breath: to “digest” the morning’s events, to participate in conversations and listen to the contributions of others and to truly celebrate our day. 

It’s an opportunity to be nourished physically, emotionally and spiritually.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY AND WHOLE FOODS

In Steiner schools worldwide, there is a conscious effort to keep school snacks and meals as natural as possible. Most schools have a garden and encourage the growing of vegetables and the grinding of grain. Salads, fruits, nuts and simple morning teas like soup, porridge, rice and bread are the staple of most schools.

No one can refute the fact that the foods we eat are vital to our well-being. What we put into our bodies can either heal or harm us in many ways - the quality of our food very much determines the quality of our lives. I love how committed the parents of our Ruby Saltbush class are in what they pack into lunch boxes! Knowing the children always have a choice of healthy foods packed every day, I’ve never had to ask the children to eat in a certain order – they can freely choose anything from what’s before them! Thank you, parents, for trouble free lunchtimes!

Food and our Daily Rhythm

Morning tea in the Early Childhood Area at The Alice Springs Steiner School is an integral part of every child’s day. While the morning tea schedule may seem simple, much planning and thought goes into each meal. Not only is it important to decide what foods will be used and how they will be prepared, but also which morning tea will be prepared on which day during the week to create the important rhythm and routine children need at this stage of life. 

This rhythm also gives children a sense of security and allows them to find their place within the day and week. Children will learn to recognize the days of the week by attributing them to the food eaten on a particular day. They become so familiar with this routine, that they are often heard exclaiming, “Tomorrow is Bread Day!” Or, when asking a teacher what the next day will be, the teacher may respond, “Tomorrow is Porridge Day,” and the child will instantly know how far into the school week they are.

SNACK PREPARATION—FROM GARDEN TO TABLE

Food preparation is also an important aspect of the day in our Early Childhood classrooms. Children learn the importance of work and develop an appreciation for the foods they eat by seeing the teachers lovingly prepare them. Singing happily while chopping fruit, carefully tending to morning tea prepared in the oven or in the slow cooker, and sharing in the joys of cooking foods together sets a wonderful example for the children while creating an atmosphere of warmth, gratitude and reverence in the classroom.

Children also benefit greatly by assisting in food preparation themselves. Activities such as chopping fruits and vegetables, kneading dough, stewing apples and so on nourishes the child’s physical body by allowing them to develop healthy motor skills. This also gives children a sense of accomplishment and belonging and allows them to feel an important part of the class environment.

Taking the appreciation of food one step further, it’s wonderful for children to experience and learn where food comes from. Our school is fortunate enough to have their own Big Garden – but even in the Cassia classes, spinach is grown in a veggie patch to be enjoyed in a special weekly spinach pie. In preschool this year, we have gratefully been gifted beetroots, carrots, strawberries, herbs and other edibles from the lovely preschool parent community. Planting seedlings, watching them grow and being able to harvest them in the spring is a very exciting process!

BLESSINGS AND GRACE

The morning tea and lunch blessing is a perfect way to teach a child gratitude and reverence. Giving thanks for the foods we eat, the farmers who grew them, the cook who prepared the meal, and the earth that made it all possible is an important part of the ritual of mealtime.

In Ruby Saltbush, our two mealtime blessings are:

Morning Tea

For trees so tall,

For the sky so blue,

For friends and food,

We thank you!

Lunch (Sung)

For the golden corn and the apple on the tree, 

For the golden butter and the honey from the bees, 

For the fruits and nuts and berries we find along the way,

Dear Mother Earth we praise and thank you each and every day!

While I have been very impressed with the quality of school lunches that come every single day to the preschool, I know how hard it can be to think of what to pack that the kids will be keen to eat. As a parent, packing (and unpacking) lunches has always been one of my most dreaded tasks - it is the highest compliment to receive an empty lunchbox back in the evening! With this in mind, I’ve photographed a few examples of lunch boxes to serve as inspiration for your own lunch prep. Hope it helps ease your nightly routine!