Bookmates Alphabet Soup

Bookmates Alphabet Soup is a fun, family-friendly experience for parents (caregivers) and preschool children aged 2 to 5 years, presented over six weekly sessions. Together parents and children enjoy food-related songs, rhymes and books. Parents create books and games for their child while discussing ideas which encourage healthy eating habits for families. Children take part in fun food-themed games, play centres and art activities. A highlight of this program is the parent and child snack time where each week they share and explore a new food idea together.

This program is a literacy/nutrition program designed by Bookmates in partnership with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and parents from four community-based centres.

This program brings together the goals of encouraging a love of language and books, and expanding children's healthy eating experiences while providing parents with new food ideas and information. Bookmates Alphabet Soup certification training provides participants with a program manual complete with session outlines for each weekly theme including templates for children's art activities, parent handouts, snack recipes, shopping lists, suggested book lists, songs and rhymes.

Bookmates Alphabet Soup received the Dietitians of Canada Regional Award for Excellence in Consumer Communication (2006).

It is recommended that two people from each organization attend the training unless there is already a trained person who will co-facilitate the program. This program has a parent and child together time as well as a fully developed adult module running at the same time as the children's module.

This is a two day training.