A study of pre-school children's attitudes to vegetables: Project activities

It is known that the food group that children in the world and also in our country find hardest to eat is vegetables. The reason for this situation can be as follows: not introducing the kid to the vegetables while transitioning to additional foods, the fact that family, friend, teacher or someone from closer environment does not like or consume vegetables, making negative comments, the fact that some children do not like the smell, taste and look of the vegetables and their genetic predisposition. However, the way to create a society of healthy individuals is via healthy and balanced nutrition. In order to accomplish that, great care must be given to child's interaction with his immediate surroundings. Because; the child is primarily affected by its mother, father, siblings, friends and teacher. Therefore, great responsibilities fall on the shoulders of the teachers. For example, the fact that teachers allow for studies in regard to vegetables in their daily education programs will be supportive in having children like or consume vegetables. In this study, it was aimed to analyze the attıtudes of the children continuing their education in kindergarten in regard to the vegetables via activities inspired by project approach. The sample of the research consists of a total of 10 children with 1 boy and 9 girls studying in the second semester of the academic year 2014-2015 in the kindergarten of an elementary school located in Sarıçam district of the city of Adana and their mothers. In this study, within the scope of the "activity research" as one of the methods of qualitative research and the project approach defined as a teaching method; various methods and techniques such as creating concept network through brain storming, performing enactments through drama, drawing, art activities, travel-observation-interview, family participation, making cooperation, peer education, evaluation and exhibition. As the tools of data collection, pictures that the children draw about vegetables before and after the study, "mother information form" that was created by the researcher, "information form about children's reaction related to vegetables", and "vegetable chart for children" were implemented. During the project work which was conducted for eight weeks, the children were provided to organize site trips, science, music, Turkish etc. activities, in relation with vegetables. The gathered data were analyzed in a descriptive way. When the results of the study were taken into consideration, it was found that the amount of weekly vegetable consumption increased in the list of nutrition groups, while (the number of) vegetables that they did not like decreased. It was seen that the vegetable categories that the children cannot identify, name or eat decreased. Moreover, there were positive changes in their attitudes to vegetables. When the pictures that the children painted before and after the study were examined, it is fair to say that the children can distinguish vegetables and fruit, the diversity increased as they recognized more vegetables, the features of vegetables like shape, color, and size became complying with the reality, the pictures gained details and the children could create compositions. Regarding to this result, the project activities is an efficient method to increase children's knowledge about vegetables and to make them develop positive activities. Key Words: Vegetable, nutrition, project approach.