Learning Through Play and the Teacher’s Rhyme
The teacher and a group of 5-year-old children attentively watched a real-life scenario in a video and enthusiastically discussed how to keep food safe and avoid stomach aches. Following this, the teacher demonstrated how to wash fruit, and the whole class took turns practicing fruit washing one by one.
Finally, both the teacher and the children happily recited a rhyme about Washing Fruit and enjoyed the delicious fruits they had just washed themselves.
This is the content of a professional activity session on the topic of food safety conducted by the teachers and students of Kim An Preschool, Thanh Oai, Hanoi. The session was attended by nearly 80 core teachers participating in the food safety education program, which applies the learning through play method. This program is implemented by the Thanh Oai District Education Department in coordination with the SAFEGRO project.
Teacher Đào Thị Phương Nghi, Principal of Kim An Preschool and author of the rhyme, shared: “Educating food safety using the learning through play method helps teachers change how they teach children about food safety. The activities guide children more thoroughly and deeply. The communication method is also more suitable for children.”
The rhyme is a typical example of how the topic of food safety has been transformed into stories, games, and engaging activities that resonate with both children and teachers. These activities help guide children to adopt hygienic practices and promote food safety in their daily routines.
FRUIT WASHING RHYME
It hums like a cicada,
Listen to the rhyme:To stay strong and healthy,
Eat fruit all the time.
But don’t you forget,
Wash your hands with care,
Then clean the fruit,
Rub it everywhere.
Guava, orange,
Grapes so sweet,
Under the water,
Make them neat.
Dusty skin,
Brush it away,
Shake your hands,
Now you’re safe today!
Implementing a Pilot Model of Integrating Food Safety Education in Schools
Along with Kim An Preschool, Phuong Trung 1 Preschool also organized a professional activity on the topic of food safety on December 27, 2024. Additionally, Lien Chau, Kim Thu, and Cao Duong Preschools will hold three more activities on January 8-9, 2025.
This series of activities is part of the implementation of Official Dispatch No. 1692 from the Department of Processing Quality and Market Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which focuses on piloting the integration of food safety education in schools.
Previously, in November 2024, the Thanh Oai District Education Department, in coordination with the SAFEGRO project, conducted two training courses for core teachers.
Mr. Doan Viet Dung, District Party Committee member and Head of the Department of Education and Training for Thanh Oai District, affirmed: “We highly appreciate the support of the SAFEGRO project in enhancing food safety education in preschools across the district. Moving forward, schools will develop specific plans to implement food safety lessons, ensuring that 100% of teachers and staff are retrained in the knowledge provided during the training courses.”
He further emphasized that schools will flexibly integrate food safety topics into children’s daily activities while coordinating with parents to encourage their participation. Schools are also preparing training plans for their communities ahead of the Lunar New Year.
This period will provide an opportune time to integrate food safety education into Tet celebrations and related topics, such as plants and animals. The content will include essential lessons on food safety, such as understanding the path of bacteria, proper handwashing and fruit washing techniques, organizing food in the refrigerator, cold storage practices, and distinguishing between raw and cooked food.
Food Safety Guide Using Learning Through Play
These guides are based on the Partnership for Food Safety Education (FightBAC), a public-private partnership established to reduce foodborne illnesses by promoting public education on safe food handling practices in the United States. These materials are currently being utilized in the project’s activities.
Learning Through Play: Learning and Playing – Two Butterflies Inseparable
Learning through play is a method, an approach, a form of implementation, and a teaching technique. When applied, this method actively engages children, fostering the development of spoken language, communication skills, cognitive abilities, reasoning, emotional growth, and physical development
Introduction to the SAFEGRO Project
The SAFEGRO project is funded by a $15 million Canadian grant from the Government of Canada. It is implemented by Alinea International in collaboration with the University of Guelph, Canada.
The project aims to improve Vietnamese consumers’ access to safe agricultural products at affordable and competitive prices, thereby enhancing consumer welfare. Furthermore, it seeks to raise awareness of food safety and increase the demand for safe agricultural products in Vietnam.
