Yes, the Rainbow Ladies – Janet and Kathy – certainly love their rainbows! And they don’t just like wearing them – they like educating others about the virtues of eating them.
Janet and Kathy spoke with JK – Grade 3 students about the importance of eating a rainbow every day. “Yeah, right!” exclaimed one Grade 3 student. “How can I possibly do that?” asked another.
“Because fruits and vegetables come in all of the colours of the rainbow,” replied Janet Nezon, owner of Rainbow Plate, a local business that takes a fun, colourful and engaging approach to teaching children and adults about healthy eating. Her mission: “Healthy eating made simple.”
Janet spoke to the children about the importance of reading food labels, eating less sugar, and how good it feels when you eat more fruits and vegetables rather than cookies and candy. Not only does your body feel stronger, but you get sick less often, your eyes and brain perform better and therefore learning is enhanced.
She then revealed her masterpiece – a dazzling display of fruits and vegetables that the children could marvel at and touch. Some were recognizable such as pumpkins, apples and peppers, others less so, including fennel, purple cabbage and a karela (a bitter gourd from India), which one boy described as “earthy” smelling. Janet then appointed the children either Rainbow Experts (JKs-Grade 2s) or Rainbow Heroes (Grade 3s) and assigned them their next mission.
As she passed out passports, the students moved to the lower section of the Library where they sat at tables with one of the two Rainbow Ladies or a teacher and proceeded to taste the different colours of the rainbow. Each child was given a rainbow plate and moved around the room from station to station smelling, feeling, sampling and describing everything they tried. It was an adventure of the senses, and the students discovered how delicious a rainbow can really be.
As educators at CDS we feel it is important to demonstrate healthy choices to our students so that they can continue to make healthy choices at home and in our new Dining Hall in the future. Go Rainbow!