NUTRITION

In May 2025, the Department of Education introduced new guidance on Nutrition in the Early Years Foundation Stage, which we follow when creating our menu’s for children.

We have a 3 week rolling menu which involves breakfast, snacks, dinner and tea. The menu consists of healthy choices for snacks and nutritional home cooked foods. Our rolling menu allows children to try a variety of familiar and new foods and ensures all of the four main food groups are consumed as part of a healthy balanced diet.

Practitioners emphasise the importance of healthy and unhealthy foods through activities and comment daily on which food groups the food they are eating, come from.

Vegetable Patch

At Sunny Bright, the children have the opportunity to learn about growing food and are able to plant seasonal vegetables in our vegetable patch. We learn how to look after them and then dig them up when they are ready. Our nursery cook then uses what we have grown as ingredients for our dinner!

Toothbrushing

At Sunny Bright, we understand that good oral health is essential for good general health. Tooth decay is the most common oral disease affecting children and young people in England and is caused by consuming too much sugary food and drinks. Tooth decay is preventable by reducing sugars in the diet and by optimising exposure to fluoride.

At Sunny Bright the children in the 2-3 and 3-5 room have their own individual toothbrush and toothpaste and are encouraged to brush their own teeth for 2 minutes using a 2-minute sand timer after lunchtime. Practitioners sing a familiar tooth brushing song whilst the children brush their teeth. During this time, practitioners also talk to the children about the importance of brushing teeth and introduce new language such as the names of the different teeth and what they are used for.