2010 年 4 巻 2 号 p. 103-110
This study investigates whether cultivation practices in nursery schools affect preschoolers’ awareness of the processes of food production. The target preschool, nursery school A, was located in the Tama area in Tokyo. Children from school A participated in various cultivation and food processing activities such as growing rice and vegetables and pickling ume. In Study 1, five-and six-year-olds from school A (n=39) and in the other school (n=40) were individually asked to explain why we must eat various types of food, chew food well, say ‘Itadakimasu’, and not leave food on plates. The answers given by the children did not differ between the two schools. The children from school A gave more detailed answers to questions regarding the processes of food production. In Study 2, 21, mealtime interaction between four-year-olds in school A were observed. While eating, the preschoolers frequently chatted about cultivation and food processing activities. Finally, the implications of cultivating activities in schools were discussed in view of the results.
