It is very important to us that the children at Villa Luna learn about a sustainable, healthy way of eating and living. Therefore, the topics of ‘healthy eating’ and ‘exercise’ are immensely important points in our daily pedagogical work.
Learning by moving
Brain research provides evidence that there is a close connection between motor coordination and thinking planning. Children learn by doing, and through movement they develop cognitive and language skills, as well as other skills they need to cope with everyday life. These include
- willingness to cooperate
- sense of responsibility
- initiative
- flexibility
- ability to solve problems
- empathy.
At Villa Luna, we provide enough space for the children to actively discover their living environment, and many of our pedagogical offerings include movement components. Through an additional varied offer of movement, they get to know themselves, their environment as well as their caregivers and the basic competencies mentioned above are promoted in the best possible way. For this purpose, we have multi-purpose rooms, a play hall and our extensive outdoor area as well as nearby green spaces at our disposal.
Food is joie de vivre
Full meals and the quality of nutrition have been proven to influence the physical and mental development of every person. Breakfast, snacks and lunch are therefore freshly prepared for our children and you do not have to worry about the contents of the daycare lunch box.
We attach great importance to a balanced, wholesome composition and high quality of the ingredients, whereby we follow the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE). In particular, we pay attention to a high BIO content in the selection of ingredients, especially in relation to animal foods.(DGE). Of course, we cater to intolerances and different nutritional concepts individually within the scope of our possibilities.
A relaxed atmosphere is very important to us at mealtimes, so that the children feel comfortable and can associate eating with joie de vivre. We like to start the meals with a ritual such as a song or a finger play. During the meal, the pedagogical staff encourage table conversations with and between the children and encourage them to try new things.
Participation
All of this is based on voluntariness and participation at all times:
- No component of the meal has to be tried.
- Those who no longer have an appetite leave a rest.
- The children choose the ingredients of their meal themselves.
- The children fill their own plates (according to their individual developmental stage).
- The children eat independently as far as their level of development allows. Our pedagogues help if the child wishes.