A new phase of the social responsibility project "Sodinčius" begins today. During it, twenty Lithuanian kindergartens will already enjoy modern greenhouses with all the equipment and vegetable seeds ready for planting at the end of spring. Those who want to win are invited to participate in the competition, draw and come up with a name for the greenhouse of their dreams. Everyone can vote for their favorite kindergarten, and the winners will be announced in April 5th daya.
The mayor of Vilnius positively evaluates the initiative to donate greenhouses to kindergartens Remigius Šimašius. According to him, preschools play an important role in forming healthy eating habits of children, so all measures that contribute to the implementation of this goal are welcome.
"Kindergarten teachers must educate not only a clever and creative person, but also a person who prefers healthy choices, for whom a tomato or a carrot is not some distant and unfamiliar vegetable. Kindergartens try to teach children to eat healthy from an early age, so such projects only strengthen children's knowledge and help kindergarten teachers in the educational process. I am sure that this initiative is especially necessary for the children of the city of Vilnius, so I invite every kindergarten in Vilnius to participate in the competition", says R. Šimašiaus.
According to Gerard Rog, general director of Palink, the company that manages the IKI retail chain, kindergarten employees will be able to grow and take care of vegetables together with children, and they will be able to hold lessons and various activities. In addition, the goal of growing one or another vegetable can help to mobilize the kindergarten community, and encourage children to be interested in the world around them, in healthy vegetables, and allow them to acquire useful knowledge that can serve their healthy development.
"The key to a healthier diet for children is to introduce them to fruits and vegetables from an early age. Unfortunately, today's children are increasingly losing touch with the vegetable garden, they rarely have the opportunity to see the cultivation of fruits and vegetables up close, to get to know them not only from pictures in books, but also directly. Installing greenhouses in kindergartens is one of the ways to bring children closer to the garden and garden products, to help establish long-term friendship between them," says G. Rog.
Child psychiatrist Linas Slušnys, who contributes to the "Sodinčiaus" project, notes that one of the reasons why children today do not eat enough vegetables is that the little ones do not know them enough, they do not come across them often enough, so they do not want to eat them.
"Children of preschool age are very curious and open to new things, so it is often enough to show them a growing vegetable up close, let them pick or water it themselves, so that the little one's attitude towards it changes and he likes such food. The opportunity for children to be close to growing vegetables and fruits is really useful", says L. Slušnys.
Kindergartens wishing to participate in the competition organized by the trade network are invited to register online at www.sodincius.lt. Registered kindergarten students have the task of drawing the greenhouse of their dreams and coming up with a name for it. All residents will be able to cast their vote online for the most liked drawings and thus decide the winners.
Greenhouses donated to kindergartens are just one of the many initiatives of the Sodinčius project implemented by IKI. At the end of last year, the retail chain selected twenty kindergartens in all of Lithuania, for whose pupils it will organize educational excursions to vegetable and fruit farms. Here, children will be able to see up close how these goods are grown. Such excursions for kindergartners were organized last year as well, and more than a dozen children have already visited different farms in the country.
In addition, last year, the IKI shopping network prepared a special children's healthy nutrition education program for kindergartens and a set of tips for parents, which were sent to all preschool education institutions in the country, together with the preschool education pedagogues of the "Smalsučiai" nursery school and child psychologist L. Slušniu. The first children's knowledge test was also carried out at the initiative of the trade network, which showed that the little ones lack essential knowledge about fruits and vegetables.
