During mealtimes each child is encouraged to self-serve their food into their bowl, providing the children with a sense of agency and control over their mealtimes. This is continued by at the end of the meals the children scrape their scraps into the bin and place their used dishes on the counter.
We have extended on this by setting up a soapy water trough for the children to practise also washing their own dishes. This is something that will be implemented as an ongoing part of our mealtime routine.
We especially love the learning opportunities available from these experiences such as for younger children it promotes the use of fine motor skills, and it encourages learning through play with water and bubbles. For older children it encourages cleanliness, discipline and helps them feel as though they are contributing to the centre mealtime.
