What we do
A typical Kids Cafe session goes like this:
9.00 am
Co-ordinator
and Assistant meet and transfer all resources and equipment into the area
where the Kids Café session will run.
All food is taken
into the kitchen. Food preparation begins.
Crèche is
set up.
Activity area is
set up with resources in place.
Co-ordinator checks
that everything is going to plan.
Consent forms are
made available to collect.
11.00 am
Volunteers
arrive.
Take-home bags
are put together.
Crèche workers
arrive and ready for the children.
11.30 am
Young
volunteers arrive and are briefed about the session.
12.00-12.45 pm
Co-ordinator,
Assistant, workers and volunteers meet together for a final briefing - the
message for the day is reinforced.
Final preparations
are made.
12.45-1.00 pm
Children
begin to arrive and are given name labels.
Consent forms are
checked and children are registered.
Children are divided
into three groups.
1.00-1.20 pm
Each
group begins their activity.
1.20-1.40 pm
Groups
move around.
1.40-2.00 pm
Groups move around again.2.00-2.30 pm
Children
wash their hands and sit down to eat.
A worker or volunteer
supervises at each table, reinforcing the message of the session. Adult also
assists children in completing the evaluation.
Children leave
after they have completed the evaluation.
Take-home bag is
given to each child as he/she leaves.
All workers and
volunteers work together to wash up and tidy the activity and eating areas.
All workers and
volunteers sit down to evaluate the session.
Types of session include
Dental Health: Calcium versus Sugar
Healthy Eating helps you have healthy teeth and gums
Carbohydrates
Breads, other cereals and potatoes give me ENERGY!
Fruit & Vegetables
Give Me 5!
Protein
Get on the Pulse!
Balance of Good Health
Calcium
Bone up on Milk!
How we do it
Sites that currently run regular Kids Café
sessions include:
Thomas
Gaughan Community Centre
Yelverton Crescent, Pottery Bank, Walker, Newcastle upon
Tyne
Tel: 0191 224 2349
St.
Vincent’s RC Primary School
Monkchester Road, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne
Tel: 0191 265 5049
Byker Sands Family Centre
Raby Street, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne
Tel: 0191 265 4566
Kids Cafés promote healthy eating and exercise in a fun and memorable way to children, young people and their families.
Sessions are for primary school children aged between 5-11 years.
Children aged 11-16 years can still take part in Kids Café activities as Young Volunteers, helping the Adult Volunteers to run the activities and assist with the younger children’s learning.
Each session is based on a nutritional theme with games and activities - and a healthy nutritious meal is provided.
The nutritional theme of the sessions can be incorporated into arts and crafts, physical games and food preparation activities - enabling children to learn through education and play.
Kids Café involves the children in preparing food and developing their cooking skills.
The children are encouraged to try new and different foods - increasing their opportunity for choice.
The children receive ‘take-home’ bags containing food, information and resources to reinforce the messages with parents and families.
Each session is evaluated to identify how much the children have learned and if they have enjoyed it.
There are several sites in the East End of Newcastle running Kids Cafés and it is hoped that Kids Café will develop further - possibly operating in the West End of Newcastle in the near future.
Planning
The planning for a Kids Café session begins several weeks before each school holiday. All workers and volunteers are invited to attend a planning meeting.
The planning meeting covers:
nutritional theme
or message of session
date and time of
session
staffing - who
is available? are art workers/sessional staff required?
crèche –
do any staff require crèche facilities
activities (food
preparation, art, exercise) - related to theme
menu planning –
foods related to nutritional theme
take-home bag –
contents related to theme
evaluation –
to identify how much the children have enjoyed the session and how much they
have learned
The Co-ordinator and Assistant will then begin to prepare for the session by ordering resources and producing posters and leaflets advertising the Kids Café.
Consent forms, registers and all other administration are put together for each site.
Each site receives all resources required in the week leading up to the Kids Café session and an informal briefing is given to make sure that the Site Co-ordinators have everything that is needed.
A worker or volunteer at each site will do the food shopping the day before the Kids Café session.
Kids Café sessions run differently at each site depending on facilities, staffing and the children that access the service.
Links with other organisations
Barnardo's
Orchard House, Fenwick Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon
Tyne NE2 2JQ
Tel: 0191 281 5024
Children's Fund Newcastle
4th floor, Warwick House, Grantham Road, Sandyford, Newcastle
upon Tyne NE2 1QX
Tel: 0191 230 4568
Fax: 0191 230 2818
Email: newcastle.childrensfund@barnardos.org.uk
Community Catering
@ Thomas Gaughan Community Centre, Yelverton Crescent,
Pottery Bank, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 3SW
Tel: 0191 224 2349
NCH St. Anthony’s Children’s House
(an NCH Family Centre)
@ Thomas Gaughan Community Centre, Yelverton Crescent,
Pottery Bank, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 3SW
Tel: 0191 224 0217
Newcastle Nutrition (Dietetics Department)
RVI, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP
Tel: 0191 282 5930
Thomas Gaughan Community Centre
Yelverton Crescent, Pottery Bank, Walker, Newcastle upon
Tyne NE6 3SW
Tel: 0191 224 2349
Voices Project
Unit 15, Quay Level, St Peter's Basin, St Peter's Wharf,
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE6 1TZ
Tel: 0191 224 5367
