SAM on My Plate: Exploring Head Start Teachers' Use of Food to Teach Science, Mathematics, and Literacy

Background Head Start teachers have suggested using food as a tool to teach across learning domains may alleviate well-described barriers to nutrition education in the preschool classroom. While there are clear benefits to food-based learning (FBL), concerns have been raised about the nutritional quality of foods featured. Objective Explore experiences of Head Start teachers’ use of FBL during experiences focused on science, (language) arts, and mathematics (SAM) in the preschool classroom. Study Design, Setting, Participants Thirty-five in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with teachers from 16 counties across North Carolina. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Researchers used thematic analysis to identify significant statements through open and focused coding. Codes were grouped into themes and interrelated themes were condensed into a description of teachers’ experiences. Researchers also identified and counted specific foods used during learning experiences. Results Participants were 94% female, 40.8 years (SD = 10.06), predominantly White (52.9%) or Black/African American (44.1%), and of non-Hispanic (97.1%) ethnicity. Teachers identified 105 foods used to teach across learning domains. 44.8% of food items featured were “unhealthy” (high in sugar, fat, sodium, and/or calories). Teachers most frequently described using food in hands-on “experiments” (eg, potato clock) to teach science, graphs and measuring activities to teach mathematics, and reading books about food featured in hands-on activities or during meals/snacks to encourage literacy. Finally, teachers stated that food-based science experiments were often used due to their ability to engage young children's senses. However, these activities more often wasted food during investigations and were least likely to be clearly connected to health or academic outcome. Conclusion Teachers use FBL as a teaching tool across multiple learning domains, but additional training on reducing waste, and aligning activities with Science learning standards is needed. Funding National Institutes of Health Head Start teachers have suggested using food as a tool to teach across learning domains may alleviate well-described barriers to nutrition education in the preschool classroom. While there are clear benefits to food-based learning (FBL), concerns have been raised about the nutritional quality of foods featured. Explore experiences of Head Start teachers’ use of FBL during experiences focused on science, (language) arts, and mathematics (SAM) in the preschool classroom. Thirty-five in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with teachers from 16 counties across North Carolina. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Researchers used thematic analysis to identify significant statements through open and focused coding. Codes were grouped into themes and interrelated themes were condensed into a description of teachers’ experiences. Researchers also identified and counted specific foods used during learning experiences. Participants were 94% female, 40.8 years (SD = 10.06), predominantly White (52.9%) or Black/African American (44.1%), and of non-Hispanic (97.1%) ethnicity. Teachers identified 105 foods used to teach across learning domains. 44.8% of food items featured were “unhealthy” (high in sugar, fat, sodium, and/or calories). Teachers most frequently described using food in hands-on “experiments” (eg, potato clock) to teach science, graphs and measuring activities to teach mathematics, and reading books about food featured in hands-on activities or during meals/snacks to encourage literacy. Finally, teachers stated that food-based science experiments were often used due to their ability to engage young children's senses. However, these activities more often wasted food during investigations and were least likely to be clearly connected to health or academic outcome. Teachers use FBL as a teaching tool across multiple learning domains, but additional training on reducing waste, and aligning activities with Science learning standards is needed.