How can parents, educators, and the broader community collaborate to ensure that children have access to resources and support for their holistic well
In your response, engage with How can parents, educators, and the broader community collaborate to ensure that children have access to resources and support for their holistic well-being in terms of BBB? (Your response must be a minimum of 250 words.)
Discussion 2 Megan
When it comes to the concept of Brain, Body, and Belly are important and inner connected so when one area struggles all have trouble. The brain is what allows for us to connect and communicate with the world around us. If the brain does not understand a concept, it uses responses from the outside world to help solve problems and keep the human body going. If the brain is tired or is not getting proper nutrients, then it struggles to perform the duties assigned to it (Krauss, 2023). This means that the brain needs to the belly and the body to help keep it functioning. If the children are not given time to nap, food to eat, and material to learn that engages them, then they are less likely to be involved in the world around
them. If children are not willing to participate, then they are less likely to gain new skills or grow to their full potential.
The body is used to protect itself as it moves and functions in the world around it. If the body does not receive adequate nutrition, exercise, or stimulation from the world around it, it fails to thrive and loses skills (Krauss, 2023). When working with children, we help the body by providing the children with movement time in the classroom with music or outdoor time to let them expel energy from gross motor movement. The body also uses small motor skills to learn how to control smaller muscle groups and develop muscle memory so that a person can do tasks like turning a key, building a structure, or even putting on their own shoes. Without exercising the body with various skills, children fail to complete tasks which help them to grow.
When it comes to the belly, the belly is what selects what nutrients go in and then allows for the energy from those foods to be spent. Some issues with neurological disorders have been linked to a lack of specific nutritional ingredients in a person’s diet. (Krauss, 2023). If the child is not given an education on foods which can help them grow and learn, they could struggle with issues of malnutrition or even obesity. By helping children to learn about what and how much food from a food group is needed, children can learn about balanced diets. They can also be taught to look for alternative options through new foods to try or foods that could be similar to ones they appreciate. I have children with food allergies, so alternatives were used to accommodate the children’s needs.
In order for children to develop healthy habits which allow for brain development and for cognitive development and functioning, children need to have access to proper nutrition. A study done by Raine and Lui found, that with proper nutrition, children are able to interact with their peers in social interactions without aggression or negative behaviors (Research at Penn, 2017). Children who are able to interact socially are given more access to resources because they have additional people to learn from and because they had received proper nutrition, they were able to increase cognitive development. The more children willing to talk and work with a child, the more chances they are given a unique perspective or access to information they were unable to grasp before.
When it comes to caregivers and educators providing children with access to information about developing healthier eating habits, one way they can increase knowledge is to offer cooking opportunities in the classroom. By teaching children about different types of food, how to prepare them in ways they can be recreated at home, and letting them sample the items, children can be given a full presentation about foods they could be encouraged to try. An example that I used in the classroom with toddlers, we spent a week on the different food groups and made different items from each of the food groups while talking about foods they have had at home. We made homemade salsa, fruit salsa, mini pizzas, frozen yogurt, and pancakes all while using whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and low
fat/high protein alternatives. It gave the children a chance to experience each item and then we talked about ways we could change the item to improve it.
One potential barrier to creating a high-quality learning environment which embraces BBB is a lack of resources. Children who are raised in environments where there is less opportunity for resources or financial support are less likely to have access to fresh ingredients, more opportunities for movement activities which can help promote physical and cognitive development, and less materials which can encourage the children to learn about areas of interest. When a resource is strained, it means there is less to go around which means it is limited or not available at all. One way to help children to overcome the barrier of a lack of resources is to connect families with food banks in the area. The families can also be connected with organizations that help encourage scholarship opportunities for sports or fitness memberships. There are also people who offer their services pro bono which means the resource could be linked up with those in need.
References
Krauss, S.M., & Herrera, M.S. (2023). Whole child, whole life: 10 ways to help kids live, learn, and thrive. Corwin Press.
Nutrition’s Growing Role in Early Childhood Development. (2017). Research at Penn, 15, 4– 5.
https://uagc.instructure.com/courses/136095/modules/items/6932350
https://uagc.instructure.com/courses/136095/modules/items/6932350
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