Veggie tales

"Have you ever eaten a root?" “No”, they cry. It may come as a surprise to learn that the carrot, which they have all have eaten, is in fact a delicious root. This question arouses the children's curiosity and paves the way for discussion. Such is the goal of Elior’s teams in Italy which have developed a series of fun and educational videos for children explaining the importance of fruits and vegetables.

The first stage is capturing their attention. For example, by getting them to count the number of carrots they can see in the paintings of the famous Italian painter and nature lover, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, and asking them what colors the carrots are: white, purple, red or yellow. The video then reveals that the origin of the orange color of the carrot as we know it today is linked to a story of kings and queens: in 1700, to honor the Dutch monarchy whose royal-family color was, and still is, orange, court chemists managed to obtain exclusively orange carrots. The same carrots we eat today!

Is the olive a fruit or a vegetable? The answer is simple: it is a fruit, but one with a rather unique characteristic, in that it contains very little sugar and a lot of fat. This is why, when squeezed, it becomes an oil, not a fruit juice. Teaching the basics of a balanced diet is the goal of this project. Throughout the videos, children become interested in fruits and vegetables and learn about their health benefits. Thanks to their vitamins and fibers, they are the most valuable source to ensure healthy growth.

Using references to Art, history and geography, these videos address concrete themes and practical examples linked to children's consumption habits. This makes it possible to arouse the curiosity of the youngest and paves the way for discussions on nutrition in the classroom. Children, for example, can travel the world by studying just four vegetables. Carrots are European and were already cultivated in the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The onion comes from Central Asia. The cauliflower, one of the oldest vegetables, comes from the Middle East and the tomato comes from Latin America.