Traces of Sustainability in Food Practices in a Norwegian Kindergarten
Sammendrag
Food and meals in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings play a vital role in health promotion and sustainable development because they constitute a significant part of the children’s total diet and considerably influence their eating habits and preferences. This paper aims to find and identify traces of sustainability in food practices in a Norwegian kindergarten by analyzing each of the four dimensions of sustainability relevant to ECEC: ecological, economic, and social/cultural sustainability, and good governance. Primary data sources for this paper include interviews with kindergarten staff, supplemented with non-participatory observation during mealtime. By looking into how this kindergarten integrated sustainability thinking into their practices and organizational structures—from designing a menu to managing a meal and incorporating children’s voices in the process—this study shows that purposefully designed food provision may promote sustainability in ECEC. In addition, it draws our attention to how the kindergarten environment can serve as an arena for children to act as change agents for sustainable food practices in kindergarten settings and beyond.
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Emneord (Nøkkelord):
food and meals, sustainabilty, early childhood education and care, sustainalbe healthy diet, children's agency, Norway
Lisens
Opphavsrett 2023 Baizhen Ciren, Aihua Hu, Eli Kristin Aadland, Hege Wergedahl
Dette verket er lisensiert under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.