40 pairs of children and their parents from two My First Skool centres are learning how to cook nutritious dishes using upcycled food at a culinary workshop held on 23 June 2024. This is one of the unique learning experiences under My First Club, an experiential platform exclusively for My First Skool children and their families that extends learning beyond the classroom.

In an innovative move to promote healthy eating and sustainability, My First Skool has partnered with At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy and their sustainability division WellSpent™ to offer a unique cooking experience for preschoolers and their families. My First Skool is the first preschool in Singapore to partner with the culinary institution, reflecting My First Skool’s commitment to nurturing holistic development and environmentally conscious practices among young children. At the same time, the parent-child culinary workshop also encourages families to bond and learn about nutrition together.

The specially designed cooking workshop aims to introduce the concept of food sustainability by incorporating ingredients upcycled from spent food into easy-to-make, nutritious and tasty meals. This hands-on experience, led by chefs from At-Sunrice, not only encourages healthy eating habits but also teaches children and their families the importance of reducing food waste.

Spent food refers to food ingredients that have already been used for their primary purpose and are typically considered waste but may still contain valuable nutrients. The upcycled ingredients used in the workshop are developed by At-Sunrice and validated by gut health experts to be rich in fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. The ingredients that will be used in the workshop include moromi (a by-product of soy sauce production), okara (a by-product of soybean), orange peel and eggshells.

This workshop is one of the unique learning experiences under My First Club, an experiential platform exclusively for My First Skool children and their families that extends learning beyond the classroom.

Aligned with My First Skool’s core values and in-centre practices, this collaboration with At-Sunrice is an extension of its ongoing efforts to promote nutrition and sustainability. It has achieved Health Promotion Board’s Healthy Pre-Schools Accreditation, and all its in-house cooks are trained to prepare balanced, nutritious meals. Additionally, children are taught the value of not wasting food, and are encouraged to decide on the amount of food they want to eat, reinforcing the message of sustainability from a young age. The school has also published a recipe book containing its cooks’ easy-to-prepare recipes such as chicken rice and mee soto, to encourage parents to make healthy meals at home.

“My First Skool believes in the holistic development of children beyond the classrooms, and is always seeking new collaborations to extend the teaching of meaningful concepts such as food sustainability and healthy eating to our children,” said Ms Thian Ai Ling, General Manager of My First Skool.

She added, “Through this partnership with At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, we continue to imbue in our children an understanding of the importance of good nutrition, while adopting good habits such as healthy eating and reducing food waste, concepts that are taught at our preschools. This activity also creates a platform for parents to bond with their children as they learn about nutrition together. This exemplifies our commitment to fostering family values. We hope to introduce similar unique and first learning experiences to our families through collaborations with other partners in the future.”

Dr Kwan Lui, Founder and Director of At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy said, “As Singapore’s leading culinary school, At-Sunrice is committed to promoting sustainable cooking practices with ingredients that are nutritious and high in fibre to support good gut health. Scientists have validated that our gut microbes need fibre as food, with our gut as our second brain. Our special line of upcycled food ingredients was created to give spent ingredients that are rich in nutrients and fibre a second life. While we have been introducing such ingredients in our cooking classes, this is the first time we are cooking with young children, and we are excited to share our specially curated Happy Gut Breakfast menu. We are thrilled to partner with My First Skool to bring the message of sustainability and healthy eating to young children and their families, and hope to inspire the next generation to embrace healthy eating and appreciate the value of good gut food.”