by Sydney Taylor) and on another day she was to bring in a healthy snack for the kids in her class. In a brief conversation with Daughter #1, where she informed me of all my duties (mostly reading and preparing the snack) she clarified that the snack had to be a healthy one, and that she wanted to bring in a fruit mosaic. I looked at her and said, "Well, what shape would I do it?" "A YELLOW star mommy! Of COURSE!" Immediately I said, "AHA! OKAY." And Daughter #1 went on to ask for specific fruits, the main one being that the star needed to be made out of pineapple.I made it the night before I needed it, carried it to school and during snack recess I served up plates of fruit. I had pineapples, strawberries, blackberries, and grapes arranged in a geometrically pleasing pattern of a star. (Unfortunately I did not take a picture of this one, but above is another sample of a fruit mosaic) I will attest that out of 24 kids in the class, 24 kids took a plate of fruit. I gently encouraged most kids to take at least two different types, and many even asked for a little bit of everything. At the end the entire tray was cleared of fruit and I felt good feeding the kids something healthy. It was slightly more time consuming than buying a tray of unhealthy muffins from the supermarket, but much better for the students.
For Valentine's Day this year, I took my friend's awesome idea (see here) and made these very cute crayon hearts.
Daughter #2, whose school doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day felt left out of the fun, so asked if she might give them out for her birthday in lieu of a healthy snack. I agreed and we made these together. (It also happened to coincide with letter "P" week, where kids are invited to bring things that start with the letter P...hence the card.)
All these projects were homemade, took a bit of time, but I think the end result was so wonderful and I was happy that I was able to do such things for Daughters and all of her friends.
On the flip side of all of the Valentines and healthy treats from me came a pile of candy from Daughter #1's school on Valentine's Day. The party was tame, no treats, just the simple passing of Valentines with no party food, but still the bag of candy bothered me. (The fact that quite a few of the treats in the bag were peanut based, which would have done both Son and Daughter #2 a great disservice notwithstanding.) Daughter #1 knew she wasn't going to be able to eat it, so asked if she might share pieces (the non-peanut ones) with her brother and sister. I said yes and offered to trade in the rest of the bag for a brand new t-shirt. She agreed and then I got rid of the candy.
Daughter #2, although she goes to a school with a pretty strict wellness policy, has come home sharing about how she ate this cupcake and that chocolate brownie and all sorts of things that I don't want her to eat without my full knowledge. If she has a treat at school, I want to be aware so that I don't offer her a treat at home. And it got me to thinking, that I want to be the one who gives treats to my kids, not anyone else. I want to be the one empowered to make decisions about what goes into my child's body, not someone else's.
It even becomes MORE difficult when I consider Son's situation as he enters school next year. He will be left out of every single celebration if I do not provide him separate treats on the side. He will miss every single cupcake and every single cookie, which actually doesn't bother me as a parent, but it is something that I know will make him sad. I can certainly bake him foods that he will be safe with, but even that just seems unnecessary.
I actually think that we should begin considering a NATIONAL policy where food, outside of the lunch you pack your child or the lunch provided by the school is NOT allowed. (This is not my idea, but the idea of health and wellness experts who are studying what is happening with the health of children as they attend school.) The celebrations at school should be non-food based. I want to be the one who controls what goes into my child's body; that is my right as a parent. I want to be aware of what he or she consumes and be empowered to make decisions about what they will eat later in the day. Lest anyone think that this is because my children or fat or unhealthy, it is not the case. (All three of my children are well within the average range of BMI.) This is about how celebrations and food at school has become a focal point and it isn't really where we want to be focusing our attention. Simply removing the extraneous food is a simple, black and white solution that I think will have wonderful effects beyond just health.
As a former teacher, I remember how kids acted after having sugar during break. Classes became far more unwieldy, students far more jittery and less focused. To bring the attention BACK to the lesson took more work, more time, and ultimately took away time from teaching. As it is, the United States has far fewer days of school than most of the westernized world, and to be spending part of the time trying to reel children in simply does not make good sense. Removing the excess food and sugar would be a simple solution.
In discussing this with friend, she commented, "You're going to upset a lot of people. This sounds so strict and military. Why can't we just have healthy snacks? Why can't the food just be limited to healthy foods?"
It is a good point, but once you start allowing some food, then people begin stretching the boundaries of what the definition of healthy means. Many people consider muffins to be "healthy" but aren't aware that muffins have just the same amount of sugar as a cupcake (minus the frosting.) Granola bars are often touted as healthy, but with sugar clocking in at sometimes 19 grams, that's not anywhere near the levels we want to give our kids.
In addition, when you take into account the sheer number of kids with mild to severe food allergies, simply eliminating food is the safest for them. Son has respiratory problems when he is near milk. If he ingests it, forget about it - the day is over for him. I know that some may consider my argument as biased since I do have a son with allergies, but I am as passionate about this as a cause for Daughters as well. I do NOT want them to have any treats at school. I want to be the one who gives it to them. I want control over how much, how often and what things goes into my child's body, and in a school environment that we have right now, this is not possible. Here are a list of a few things that absolutely infuriate me that have happened in schools in either Daughters school or schools in our area.
A mother handed out Happy Meals to the entire class as a "birthday treat" from her daughter.
A melted chocolate fountain was brought to class so that kids could dip fruit in chocolate. (this was in Daughter's 3 year old class, and I was NOT happy.)
Teachers passing out candy as incentives to get students to provide an answer.
Teachers offering rewards of candy as incentives for good behavior.
Donuts and ice cream being sold either RIGHT before school or RIGHT after school as a fundraiser.
I'm all for eliminating ALL extraneous foods, including food fundraisers. I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of people against this idea or thinking that I'm overly crazy or extreme. But I know that there will be some out there who may see the logic in the idea (it's not a new one by the way - I'll post resources as well) and think about how this idea may become a reality someday. In the meanwhile, when it is a celebration, consider sending something that is either healthy or not even food related. You'd be surprised at how many kids find themselves enjoying something outside the traditional idea of "treat."
I know that many will have opposing views on this and I'm open to comments and discussion. I'd love to hear other points of view and any concurring sentiment as well.
And just to bring some levity back to the blog...
A goofy bear mosaic I made for Daughter #1 when she had her teddy bear picnic. He looks pretty silly, no?
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14 comments:
thank you for sharing this. i totally agree with you! my boys are still young and not in school yet, but i believe i should be the one deciding what goes into their bodies, even if sometimes it is the unhealthy stuff =)
@Angella...EXACTLY. You should be the one deciding when and where something unhealthy goes into your child's body. My children have treats in my presence, when I say it is okay. That is my preference.
daughter #2 also has lots of allergies and even at 1.5yrs old she gets really sad that she can't have treats. but the chocolate fountain?? wow, i'm so shocked. but i agree that treats in schools are getting out of hand. my husband is a hs teacher and they don't allow him to hand out anything above a certain sugar level, which is less than the size of those fun size candies.
Alright,I guess I'm going to start all the controversy. Although I am ALL for healthy eating, especially as I live in the midwest and am somewhat appalled at the lack of healthy eating and obesity in both kids and adults (I didn't grow up here,) I don't think eliminating food at schools is the answer. Why not eliminate all school lunches then? Even if you did do that I guarantee that plenty of kids would sack very unhealthy lunches to school and kids would still swap parts of their lunches without your knowledge. Quick fixes to circumstances in order to gain control doesn't educate or empower people. That kind of thinking eventually leads people to say ridiculous things like "McDonalds should not be allowed to super size their food, or must sell healthier burgers" and blaming institutions for their lack of health rather than taking responsibility for their actions.People need to learn to be responsible for themselves and for their children. If that means your child is going to be deprived of something other children get, that's YOUR perogative but taking other peoples' rights away to give gifts of food or to receive them, healthy or not, is not the answer. Telling people what to do and "parenting" adults, if you will, is the exact opposite of empowerment. If parents don't want their kids to be eating "extra" stuff at school, they ARE perfectly empowered to not let THEIR children eat that stuff. Is your school not allowing you to attend if your child doesn't participate in eating the snacks given at a school party? (If so, then ignore this whole post.) Everybody else should not be restricted from enjoying food and fun just because you don't want your child to feel sad. That's wanting to have your cake and eat it too and making many others suffer for the sake of YOUR child. I totally understand how as a parent it is hard to see your child unhappy, but if your convictions are so strong about the issues, then just live by them, nobody is stopping you from doing that, and don't force them onto others. My children are not allowed to do plenty of things that other kids do.i.e. If there's a birthday party where there will be activities that I'm not comfortable with, I don't send my child. I don't tell the parents of the birthday child to do something different or cancel the party. That's not my perogative. Yes, my kids get sad that they don't get to do everything other kids get to do but that is helping them to build character starting young and learning to accept circumstances in life that aren't "ideal" in their eyes. If you're a human over the age of 10 you know that's a lifelong challenge and I'm glad they're learning how to deal with it in appropriate ways now. OK, I'm done. I hope I'm not banned from your blog now. :)
@Sandy. Of course not. I appreciate all comments and posts and points of view. This is just to open up an exchange and dialogue. I definitely hear your point and as my friend pointed out, my point of view is not going to be popular.
I've seen kids exchange things from their lunches and I know it happens. I'm also not into enforcing a police state in schools. However, oftentimes to make sweeping changes, something radical needs to be done. I understand treats as being wonderful, a way to celebrate and a part of our culture. However, I'd like to separate that from the school environment where sometimes treats can hit the classroom 4 or 5 times a month. It just doesn't promote good health. While living in Korea, for example, bringing treats to the class was not allowed. It just doesn't happen. AS a culture, we think it is our RIGHT to do this, but I want us to question whether it really is a beneficial right and what are the repercussions for holding on to such rights.
A wonderful dialogue. I am a childhood obesity expert currently working as a consultant in a local school district. As parents, teachers, administrators and coaches,we have a responsibilty to teach kids how to make healthy choices. We give kids the tools to learn math, to read and to write. We must also give kids the tools to make healthy choices. The party culture in our schools directly contradicts the messages we are trying to teach our kids. It must be terribly confusing for them. The passage of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act and the update to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 are setting us in the right direction but it is our responsibility as the adults in kids lives to create environments where they can suceed when it comes to education AND making healthy choices. I share your healthy celebrations ideas with the parents and teachers I work with. Thanks.
I'd like you to know how much you've inspired me with your fruit mosaics! They are so pretty! I am throwing a bridal shower for my best friend next weekend and we will have a heart shaped mosaic for her.
"I want to be the one who controls what goes into my child's body; that is my right as a parent." ---I TOTALLY agree.
Food is a constant battle in my house because husband and I do not eat the same things which therefore gives our children two opposite viewpoints on what should be put in their bodies.
My mom works at a school and they actually have banned food treats bc of allergies (we live in the Chicagoland area).
I am all for getting rid of school lunches anyway unless healthy options were offered in place of the over processed rubber pizza, chicken patties, etc.
It bothers me that my son's preschool offers a snack in a 1 1/2 hr program! And, the snacks are always cookies, goldfish, etc. Although goldfish aren't 'unhealthy' per se, I would rather him eat the Annie's bunnies I give him at home because they aren't full of garbage preservatives and stuff. And COOKIES?! I just don't feel the need to give a snack (esp CRAP!) for a 1 1/2 hr program. YOu feed your kid breakfast and then they come home for lunch. Oh, and of course JUICE is offered (and it's not the 100% kind either...). But what am I supposed to do? I can't go through his school years and tell the teacher to not give my kids anything (well, I guess I could but I'd make my kid look like a weirdo =P). I am ALL FOR the idea of schools not offering outside food.
Sorry my thoughts are scattered but this is an ongoing argument in my house so your blog post really hit home!
wow! what a great way for kids to be more into fruits! And yeah, I agree, kinda sad that teachers use candies as incentives or for rewards - blah. More FRUITS please! =)
I totally agree with you. I really wish other people were more considerate of parents' preferences.
I 100% agree with you. Just today, when I picked up munchlin from her after-school program, they were handing out chocolate rice crispy treats. At 5:15pm. It was my understanding they don't normally feed the kids at all unless it was a full day program and I wasn't pleased to see them ruining her dinner with garbage. Hubby thinks I'm overreacting but it makes me angry especially when they advertise themselves as only offering healthy foods.
I don't mind her having the occasional treat - but it's not occasional when she gets them at school, after school, etc. And she's not the type to communicate it often so I rarely even know when she gets the cupcakes for birthdays, etc.
That's a great idea about offering a trade for the candy - I'm definitely doing that next time. This year I hid the candy after Halloween and snuck it in the trash after she'd forgotten about it (She did get a few pieces, though).
I've been teaching for 25 years. About 4 years ago our school system implemented a list of approved snacks and drinks that the students can bring to school. Parties have been banned in the classrooms as well as giving out candies and other sweets. Students are not allowed to share their snacks with their classmates. A few years before this all bake sales were banned. Despite this many students still bring chips, cookies, various types of ice tea and sugar laden juices. We are in the right direction but it needs to be enforced. One reason it is hard to enforce is the approved snacks are more expensive and many families cannot afford them.
I agree that you should be in charge of what your child eats; enforce that by sending notes to your child's classroom and the administration. However, you do not have the right to dictate to other parents as to what they should do. And, as Susan just said, however hard school districts try to enforce heatlthy eating, it just doesn't work. We have a nutrition policy in effect at the school where I work, but it only controls what the school can provide in terms of lunches and snacks; when I am on cafeteria duty I see some of the worst lunches imaginable; one child (and it is not limited to just that one child) has never eaten fruit or veggies, salad or anything remotely healthy since starting school 4 years ago. As disheartening as it is to see, the truth is that junk food is cheaper than fresh fruit. There are many children who have never eaten fruit save for maybe apples, bananas and oranges and never been offered raw veggies for their lunch.
It's a mindset.
Thank you for sharing. I think some people are forgetting here that this is school- not a party. Why does fun always have to center around food? No parent or teacher should decide what a child eats other than his or her parent - period.
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