“Nourishing Kids Classes” with The Little Yoga House

Nourishing Kids Classes are a great way to open up a dialogue with kids about real, clean, and delicious food. I have teamed up with Austin’s only all-kids yoga studio, The Little Yoga House, to add a food and nutrition segment to their Peace School program. From 9:15am to 10am we learn all about nourishing foods, play food-related games, read books, cook up a quick/nutrient-rich dish and explore how food can be fun. In class we focus on:

Learning about where food comes from (farm to table)
Discussing what makes food good for our bodies and how to “eat the rainbow”
Mini cooking sessions where we learn how a little flavor goes a long way. (So far we have created dishes such as: veggie soup, Bok Choy stir fry, caramelized onions, fruit salad, green smoothies, raw sun-nut-butter slaw and homemade hummus.)
Reading books that illustrate the importance of a healthy and well-balanced diet
Food Fun (food art, memory games, imaginary trips to the grocery store, scavenger hunts, and more…)

Austin’s only Package-free and zero-waste neighborhood grocery store, in.gredients, has even gotten in on the fun and supplies our class with a weekly donation: our “veggie of the day!” This week’s was Bok Choy. Their produce comes straight from a local Austin urban farm called Johnson’s Backyard Garden. Thank you in.gredients and JBG! How cool is the food community in Austin?!!

Here is what we did in class today:

First we discussed real food vs. junk food. We read The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food and sorted through a grocery coupon catalog to circle the nutrient-dense foods and “x” out the foods without little nutritional value.

Next we went on a shopping trip to find the healthiest foods available. After we put the food in our baskets, checked out and took it all back home, it was time for the cooking to begin. The girls created their own personal recipes to nourish our bodies! Chef hats, mittens, plates, bowls and aprons were required;)

Once we filled up on our imaginary food, it was time for the real cooking to being! Caramelized onions, Bok Choy, honey, sesame seeds, water and garlic made for a yummy snack. The girls loved the smell of our dish!