Young children are very emphatic about their food. They love it- they hate it. There are few in-betweens. Let them share their tastes and build their literacy by creating a group food collage. You can do this using a wall or a large piece of butcher paper. Provide the children with appropriate magazines and scissors in the writing area, as well as the standard markers, paper etc. Encourage them to cut out words and pictures of their favorite foods and place them on the food collage. They could even cut out foods they don’t like, and practice some symbolic literacy by making a circle and crossing out the food. (Just communicate that they are not allowed to cross out someone elses contribution.) Children may also want to bring in labels and cut-out words and pictures from favorite foods at home, or they may even want to draw their favorite foods. Allow a few weeks for this project to grow and take time each day to point out some of the contributions, discuss their differing tastes, and even take advantage of the environmental print that is sure to abound!
