Food and Nutrition Curriculum (0 - 5 Years)

NERDC Curriculum Early Childhood Education for Food and Nutrition Ages 0 – 5 Years. Breast feeding, Adequate Feeding/ Healthy Foods

Table of Contents

Foods and Nutrition Curriculum (0 – 3 Years)

Week 1

Topic: Breast feeding (0-6 months)

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to:

1. Discuss benefits of exclusive breastfeeding

2. Practice exclusive breast- feeding (EBF) in the first 6 months of life.

3. State the Disadvantage of breast milk substitutes.

Performance Objectives – Child: Should be able to:

1. Accept breast milk exclusively

Content:

1. Concept of exclusive breast feeding

2. Breastfeeding

3. Importance of colostrum.

4. Breast milk substitute and their disadvantages

5. Wrong breastfeeding practices.

6. Mother and child interaction

7. Breast feeding in special cases e.g. (HIV positive mothers

8. Medical advice for HIV/AIDS positive mothers.

9. Problems of breast feeding (cracked and sore nipples etc.).

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

1. Practice exclusive breastfeeding

2. Guided discussions o

• Problems associated with breast milk substitutes.

• Harmful feeding practices e.g. discarding of colostrum, abrupt weaning

*appropriate positioning of child during breastfeeding.

*extraction and preservation of breast milk

Ascertaining HIV status and seeking medical advice if positive

Activities – Child:

Caring/Learning Materials:

• Cups

• Spoons

• T/V clips

• Soap

• Water

• Towel

• Basin

• Posters / Picture showing proper ways of breast feeding.

Evaluation Guide:

Parent/Caregiver:

1. Right practice of exclusive breastfeeding

2. Knowledge of breastfeeding, its advantages and practice

3. Harmful breastfeeding practices identified

4. Disadvantages of other substitutes including formula foods Discussed.

NERDC Curriculum Early Childhood Education. Food and Nutrition Curriculum Ages 0 – 5 Years.

Week 2

Topic: Complementary feeding (7-36 months)

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to:

1. Discuss the importance of complementary foods.

2. Process different food items suitable as complementary foods.

3. Produce nutritious foods from local sources.

4. Identify and provide supplements appropriate for the children e.g. vitamin A.

5. Identify signs of malnutrition in children.

6. Identify signs of food allergies

7. Identify problems related to complementary feeding.

Performance Objectives – Child: Should be able to:

1. Continue to accept breastfeeding

2. Accept complementary foods.

3. Accept vitamin supplements

4. Show evidence of proper feeding

Content:

1. Meaning of complementary foods:

That is

• Soft food

• Enriched pap

• Semi-solid

• Family food

2. Types of complementary food (from the f locality)

3. Nutrients/functions of complementary foods.

4. Preparation/Processing methods: e.g. heat treatment soaking/cooking/ fermentation, drying etc.

5. Vitamin/food supplements

6. Common food allergies in children e.g. abdominal discomfort, diarrhea vomiting rashes etc.

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

1. Identify locally available food items in all food groups.

2. Prepare different food complements using appropriate ratios e.g.

. Double mix: staple/Animal protein

. Staple/ vegetable protein (3. 1)

3. Feed children with suitable complementary foods in the following order

(a) Start with very soft e.g. enriched pap. (b) Semi-solid (c) family food

4. Practice the use of spoon and cup for feeding.

Activities – Child:

Eat various complementary foods provided

Caring/Learning Materials:

Various complementary foods,

.Pap enriched with egg, crayfish, groundnut, soya milk.

. Cooked and mashed beans enriched with Vegetables and palm oil.

. Mashed yam with oil

. Rice

. Cups

. Plates

. Spoon

. Water

. Charts

. Posters of food items

. Pictures of healthy/ mal nourished child

. Soap

. Towel

. Basin

. Growth Charts

Evaluation Guide:

Child

1. Complementary foods accepted

2. Breast milk feeding continued.

3. Evidence of physical growth shown

4. Reduced incidence of food refusal and allergies

5. Reduced incidence of common childhood food related illness.

Caregiver

1. Prepared various complementary foods

2. Complementary foods fed to children.

3. Feeding problems and allergies identified

4. Food supplement, fortified food with Vitamin A and iodine.

NERDC Curriculum for Foods and Nutrition Ages 0 – 3 years

Week 3

Topic: Adequate Feeding/ Healthy Foods.

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to:

1. Select proper food that will meet the nutritional needs/ food of the child.

2. Identify unhealthy food and bad eating habits.

3. Observe and identify signs and symptoms of malnutrition.

4. Recognize the importance of preparing and serving meals under hygienic conditions.

5. Identify the need for snacks and healthy food at the center.

6. Avoid gender preference in food distribution.

7. Identify importance of adequate feeding to Health.

Performance Objectives – Child: should be able to;

1. Accept Adult food.

2. Take one meal at Centre/ school

3. feed self

4. Exhibit good eating habits.

Content:

1. Child feeding practices/ habits

2. Available foods in the community.

3. Nutritional values of foods.

4. Basic functions of food. E.g. Growth food/ body building- protein e.g. fish, beans, egg, milk, groundnuts etc. Carbohydrates/ Energy food carbohydrates Yam cocoyam, cassava, rice, fat and oil etc.

Protective foods- vitamin and minerals: vegetable and Fruits

5. Harmful substances e.g. excessive intake of sugar and candies.

6. Adequate Diet

7. Nutrition deficient diseases/ food relate disorders

a) Night blindness

b) Kwashiorkor

c) Marasrs

d) Rickets

e) Dental carries

f) Obesity

8. Food hygiene and Safety.

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

1. Obtain various foods within the community.

2. Select healthy foods from the various food group to meet nutritional needs of the child.

3. Tell children to bring snacks to the center/ school. Supervise group eating.

4. Prepare food for children under hygienic conditions.

5. Display posters showing various cases of malnourished and well-nourished children.

6. Give food in manageable portions

7. Introduce one food at a time to children.

Activities – Child:

1. Identify food items

2. Draw and paint food items

3. Feed self while eating with family and in a group.

4. Practice Good eating Habits

Caring/Learning Materials:

1. Deferent food items e.g. Yam, garri, rice, meat, fish, vegetable, fruits etc.

2. Simple cooking equipment/ utensils

3. Plates

4. Charts

5. Posters of adequate food items.

6. Posters of malnourished/ Healthy children.

7. Soap

8. Water

9. Basin

10. Towel

11. Cutlery

12. Cups

13. Stoves

14. Kerosene

15. Firewood

Evaluation Guide:

Child

1. A wide variety of foods by self, eaten

2. Increased body weight and height.

3. Reduced incidence and severity of common childhood illness.

4. Good eating habits Practiced.

Caregiver

1. Nutritionally adequate meals for different ages provided

2. Reduced incidence of food related diseases.

3. Good eating habits Maintained

Week 4

Topic: 4. Food Taboos/harmful feeding Practices.

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to:

1. Identify harmful food taboos and practices within the community.

2. List the effects of harmful feeding practice related to children (e.g. not giving meat/ egg to children).

3. Identify the danger of giving pre-lacteals and administration of local concoction to children

Performance Objectives – Child:

Content:

1. Common feeding practices that are harmful to the child

a) Food taboos

b) Giving less portentous foods e.g. meat, egg etc.

2. Effects of foods taboos on the child

3. Effects of harmful feeding practices on the child.

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

1. Identify food taboos & harmful feeding practices.

2. Discuss reason why mother should not discard the first yellowish breast milks (colostrum)

3. Discuss the effects of some harmful traditional food taboos.

4. Discourage the giving of pre-lacteals and administration of local concoction to children.

Activities – Child:

Caring/Learning Materials:

Television and Radio programs advocating against harmful food practices against children.

Evaluation Guide:

Caregiver/

1. Knowledge of harmful food taboos and their effects expressed.

2. Good feeding practices identified

NERDC Food and Nutrition Curriculum Ages 0 – 3 years

Week 5

Topic: Feeding During Illness

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to

1. Identify different childhood feeding illnesses.

2. Identify problems associated with feeding sick child.

3. Identify the importance of liquid foods to a sick child.

4. Recognize the importance of ORT solution for the sick Child.

5. Prepare ORT/SSS solution for the sick child where need be.

Performance Objectives – Child: Should be able to:

1. Say when he/she is ill.

2. Continue to accept breastfeeding/feeding during illness.

3. Ask for what she/he likes to eat.

4. Accept ORT solution when ill.

Content:

1. Types of food related illnesses.

2. Feeding in relation to food to illnesses.

3. Preparation of OR solution.

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

1. Give small portion of food at a time.

2. Gives food frequently.

3. Give more liquid food.

4. Give a variety of foods acceptable to the child.

5. Prepare and administer ORT/SS solution.

6. Maintain hygienic conditions when feeding the sick child

Activities – Child:

1. Accept ORT/SS solution.

2. Accept Food.

Caring/Learning Materials:

. Different food items,

. Plates

. Cups

. Spoons etc.

. ORT/SS solution

. Bottles ORT/SS

. Sugar

. Salt

. Water

Evaluation Guide:

Child

1. Eats during illness

2. Recovered

Caregiver

1. Knowledge of childhood diseases and their prevention

2. ORT/SS solution prepared and administered

3. Child identified

4. Clean cooking materials used.

NERDC Curriculum Early Childhood Education for Food and Nutrition Ages 0 – 5 Years.

Foods and Nutrition Curriculum (3 – 5 Years)

Week 1

Topic: Healthy Foods

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to:

recognize the importance of good food for health
state basic food groups and their function in the body
prepare adequate diet for children
discuss and demonstrate proper food selection that would meet nutritional need of the child

Performance Objectives – Child: Should be able to:

feed self
accept adult food
eat healthy foods
eat in society acceptable manner

Content:

1. Healthy foods Basic functions for food in the body

3. Food groups e.g.

A. body building food e.g. meat, fish, beans, soups, egg, milk, crayfish, groundnut etc.

B. energy giving foods e.g. yams, cocoyam, maize, cassava, potato, corn, rice, palm oil, millet’s. Body protective food e.g. vegetables and fruits, vegetables like okra, greens, (spinach), Pumpkin, fruits, oranges, mangoes, banana, tangerines, carrot, palm oil etc.

4. Selection preparation and storage and strange of foods for children

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

1. Prepare tasty and adequate diet

2. Give a variety of food in reasonable portions at every meal

3. Encourage the child to accept adult foods

4. Share food with the child

5. Provide children with foods

6. Show pictures of well-nourished and malnourish children

7. Display various foods within the community

8. Display pictures of food groups.

Activities – Child:

1. Eat different kinds of food and fruit

2. Talk about foods

3. Draw and paint pictures of food groups

4. Eat in society acceptable Manner

Caring/Learning Materials:

• Cup

• Plates

• Food chart, posters of food group, nature box

• Pictures of healthy and malnourished child

• Food items e.g. yams, garri, meat, fish, vegetable fruit etc.

• Cooking utensils, pan, pot, spoon, stove, firewood

• Water

• Towel

• Paper

• Crayon

• Paint

• Brushes

• Easel

• Clay

• Songs, rhymes, stories, games about food

• Soap

• Basin

• Pencils

Evaluation Guide:

Child

1. Eat adequately

2. Eat food properly

3. Request for different foods

4. Eat healthy food

5. Show good physical growth and development

Parent/caregiver/teacher

1. Prepare different types of food for proper growth and development

2. Recognize food deficiency unknowledgeable about signs and symptoms of malnutrition.

Week 2

Topic: Food Hygiene

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to:

1. Keep kitchen clean with everything in its place

2. Wash food items before cooking

3. Prepare and serve meals under hygienic condition

4. Wash hands before and after handling food

5. Clean up after eating (i.e. tables, dishes and kitchen)

6. Prevent food contamination through proper storage and preservation

7. Dispose of refuse safely

8. Discourage children from eating unripe fruits.

Performance Objectives – Child: Should be able to:

1. Wash your hand before eating

2. Wash mouth and hands after eating

3. Make attempts at cleaning up the table of dishes, clean fresh foods

4. Wash fruits before Eating

5. Avoid unripe fruits.

Content:

1. Food hygiene

2. Kitchen hygiene

3. Personal hygiene

. Well selected foods

. Clean kitchen

. Clean utensils

. Clean surrounding

. Well cooked food

Well-kept kitchen.

Provide waste

Baskets with lids

. Dispose as often as possible

5. Food and water storage.

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

1. Discuss selection of food items

2. Serve food hygienically

3. Store and preserve food properly

4. Wash hands and cooking utensils

5. Keep left over food covered

6. Warm left over food before serving

7. Wash hands after use of toilet or handling of children’s faces

8. Wash vegetables before cutting.

9. Cook foods using correct method.

9. Wash fruit before eating.

Activities – Child:

1. Keep kitchen clean with everything in its place

2. Wash food items before cooking

3. Attempting cleaning table, plate or dish after eating

4. Cover your food

5. Wash fruit before eating

6. Avoid unripe fruits.

Caring/Learning Materials:

• Pots

• Plates

• Cups

• Spoons

• Broom

• Soap

• Pictures of neat and dirty surroundings

• Food items

• Waste baskets

• hand towels

• wash hand basins

• covered plastics for storage of water.

Evaluation Guide:

Child

Maintain clean food habit

Parent/caregiver/teacher

1. Clean and orderly kitchen

2. Hygienic cooking, serving and preservation of foods.

3. Food prepared and served under hygienic conditions

3. Safe disposal of refuse.

Week 3

Topic: Adequate Diet.

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to:

1. Discuss and demonstrate proper food selection

2. Identify and discourage unhealthy foods and bad eating habit seating habits

3. Observe and identify sign and symptoms of malnutrition

4. Identify and discourage local taboos

5. Prepare and serve meals under hygienic conditions

6. Provide snacks and food at the Centre

7. Avoid gender preference in food distribution.

Performance Objectives – Child: Should be able to:

1. Accept adult Foods

3. Familiar with foods in locality for adequate diet

4. Take one meal at school/Centre

5. Identify harmful foods and habits e.g. Sweets

Content:

1. Good feeding practices

2. Available food in the community

3. Basic functions of food

A. growth food (bodybuilding)

B. energy foods

C. protective food (look under healthy foods for list of a, b, c)

4. Harmful substances e.g. excessive intake of sugars and candies, sweet.

5. Centre feeding

6. Food related disorder:

. Night blindness

. Kwashiorkor

. Marasmus

. Rockets

. Dental caries

. Obesity

7. Food deficiency diseases such as kwashiorkor, marasmus, pellagra, night blindness, anemia etc.

local food taboos
adequate food preparation
food hygiene
Family food distribution food supplement.

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

1. Display of various foods within the community

2. Select food from various food groups

3. Display of posters of food groups and functions in child Centre/school

4. Encourage children to bring snacks to the Centre/school to eat as a group

5. Prepare adequate meal for children

6. Display posters showing various causes of malnourished children

7. Discuss food related disorder with children e.g. allergy, food poisoning

8. Observe signs of food related disorders in children.

9. Discuss and treat food related diseases e.g. kwashiorkor, marasmus, food allergy and stomach problems

10. Serve food in proper proportion

11. Demonstrate good eating habit

12. Establish gardens at home and centers.

13. Prepare just enough food for the day

14. Minimize frying of foods to enhance digestion

15. Distribute food Appropriately

Activities – Child:

1. Eat a variety of meals and healthy foods in a socially acceptable manner

2. Identify harmful foods and habits e.g. sweets

3. Wash hands before and after meals

4. Wash mouth after eating.

Caring/Learning Materials:

Different food items e.g. yams, garri, rice, meat, fish, vegetables, fruits etc.
Simple cooking equipment and utensils
Cardboards
Growth charts
Posters of adequate food items
Pictures of malnourished and healthy children
Soap
Water
Basin
Towel
Cutlery
Cups
Stoves
Kerosene
Firewood
Napkin/hand towel
Vegetable garden

Evaluation Guide:

Child

1. Eat adult food

2. Accept adequate food

3. Reduced incidence and severity of common childhood illness

4. Appreciate foods available in the locality

5. Reject harmful foods and habit e.g. sweets

Parent/caregiver/teacher

1. Select and prepare adequate food for different ages

2. Unhealthy foods and bad eating habits identified and discouraged

3. knowledgeable about signs and symptoms of malnutrition.

Week 4

Topic: food Taboos

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to:

1. Identify harmful food taboos and practices

2. Discourage harmful food taboos within the community

3. List the effects of harmful feeding practices related to children

4. Discourage the giving of local concoction to children

Performance Objectives – Child: Should be able to:

1. Describe some harmful practices

2. Discuss some food taboos

Content:

1. Common harmful feeding practices e.g.

A. food taboos

B. eating from common plate

C. giving less portentous food e.g. meal, egg, etc.

D. feeding during and after illnesses

2. Effect of harmful feeding practices

3. Local existing food taboos.

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

discuss the dangers of harmful feeding practices food taboos

A. eating from common plate etc.

discuss feeding of the child during and after illness
discuss with resource persons in the community about local food taboos
Create food taboo scenarios for children to dramatize or role play.

Activities – Child:

1. Dramatize or role- play some food taboo scenarios

2. List some food taboo.

Caring/Learning Materials:

• Charts/pictures/posters/films showing harmful feeding practices and effect

• Television/radio programs/jingles advocating against harmful food practices.

Evaluation Guide:

Child

1. Food taboos and harmful practices rejected

Parent/caregiver/teacher

1. knowledgeable about of harmful feeding practices

2. knowledgeable about feeding during and after illness

3. Local food taboos broken.

National Early Childhood Education Curriculum for Food and Nutrition Ages 3- 5 Years

Week 5

Topic: Feeding during illness

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to:

1. Provide liquid food to child.

2. Should feed the child frequently in small portion,

Performance Objectives – Child: Should be able to:

1. Accept food during illness.

Content:

Feeding in relation to sickness and diseases.

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

1. Give small portion of food at a time.

2. Give food frequently.

3. Give liquid food.

4. Give variety of food acceptable to the child.

Activities – Child:

Ask for water, or any desired food.

Caring/Learning Materials:

• Different food items, plates, cups, spoons etc.

• Pap, water, tea etc.

• Different foods: pap, water, tea, bread, snacks etc.

• Fruits- apple, orange, pawpaw etc.

• Cooking utensils- pot, plates, cups, spoons etc.

• Cutleries- spoon, fork etc.

Evaluation Guide:

Child

1. Eat during illness in order to recover quickly

Parent/caregiver/teacher

1. Appropriate foods provided

2. Prompt to deal with sick child’s needs for food

3. knowledgeable about feeding during and after their illness.

Week 6

Topic: Good and bad feeding habits.

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to:

1. Identify and encourage good feeding habits

Identify some bad feeding habits in the locality

Washing of hands before and after eating

. Forced feeding

. Eating between meals

. Over feeding

. Preference for meals to be served up first

3. Discuss and encourage advantages of good feeding habits

4. Discuss the disadvantages of bad habits and discourage them

5. Avoid gender preference in food distribution.

Performance Objectives – Child: Should be able to:

1. Say good feeding habits

2. Say bad feeding habits

3. List advantages of good feeding habits

4. List disadvantages of bad feeding habits

Content:

1. Common feeding habits in the environment

2. Child feeding practices

3. Personal hygiene with regards to feeding

Simple rule to guide child eating habits

. Washing of hands

. Food etiquette

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

1. Display various food items

2. Show pictures of chart of different kinds of food

3. Identify and discuss various feeding habits (good and bad)

4. Discuss simple rules

Activities – Child:

1. Demonstrate good feeding habits as well as bad feeding habits

2. Sing songs and recite rhymes on bad feeding habits

3. Wash hands before and after eating

4. Wash fruits before eating

5. Eat only at meal times

6. Eat just enough.

Caring/Learning Materials:

• Pictures showing families at meal

• Basin

• Water

• Soap

• Chart showing food group

• Cutlery

Evaluation Guide:

Child

1. Good eating habit practiced

2. Fruits washed before eating

3. Good feeding habits practiced

4. Bad feeding habits avoided.

Parent/caregiver/teacher

1. Good feeding habits exhibited.

Week 7

Topic: Harmful Feeding Practices

Performance Objectives – Parent/Caregiver: Should be able to

Discourage the taking of substances such as too much sugar, sweets.
Discourage the giving of local concoctions to children.
Discourage the eating of raw foods.

Performance Objectives – Child: Should be able to

Avoid taking too much sugar.
Differentiate between safe and unsafe foods, by sight and smell.
Identify some harmful habits in the local community.

Content:

Local feeding practices e.g.
Available foods in the community
Harmful substances e.g. excessive intake of sugar, sweets
Classes of food

. Body building

.energy giving

. Protection giving basic functions of food in relation to health

Activities – Parent/Caregiver:

display various foods in the community
display pictures of good and bad foods Discuss the 3.effect of harmful feeding practices
discuss food related disorders in children e.g. too much sweets, causes running stomach

Activities – Child:

Talk about harmful foods. Tell stories of victims of harmful foods known to them.
identify safe and unsafe feeding practices
List the effect of harmful feeding practices related to children.