I live in Florida, and it is often hot here, but I also played outside as a kid, sometimes I took my dolls into the backyard. I also liked to read, I read msotly in the house, but when the weather is nice I like to read on the porch or outside. If our kids are going to play outside during the heat of summer, we need to have them wear sunblock, perhaps sunglasses and a hat to protect them from the sun. I think schools should eifnitely offer healthy foods, pizza and hamburgers is a bad idea. I agree that it is the parents duty to teach their children to eat healthy, my Mom taught me to eat vegetables and fruit, she limited my access to fattening food and sweets. In High school I was upset becasue of a drink called Fruitopia they were serving in the drink machine, it had 5% fruit juice and was filled with sugar. I started eating salads in high school becasue I was concerned about my weight, I wanted to look better.
Still somewhat being a kid myself, I agree that the best way to get your kids to eat healthy is to deprive them lunch money and make a lunch for them. My school, although it is a high school, serves pizza and french fries or tater tots every day as a choice. They do have a healthy salad and soup line, but I know maybe two people who actually use that line every day. I have a friend who manages to make school lunches healthy, but most kids no matter what their age would take slices of green peppers and carrot sticks over fried potatoes and pizza.
I've been bringing my own lunches to school all through junior high and high school, and I brought my lunch maybe half the time during elementary school, depending on what was served. My lunches have always been fairly balanced and healthy compared to what most kids are eating. Sure, your kids might still trade their sandwich for a slice of pizza or a lunchable, but taking extra time in the morning to make a lunch for them is worth a shot.
In many many ways I just wish the schools would leave my kids alone. I don't feel like it is their job to "help my kids" in an awful lot of ways that they seem to try and take on as though it were their job. As the parent, I am responsible for my children's health, not the schools. Their job is to educate. I wish they would stick to that and leave my kids alone in areas that are NOT their job. I really really get sick of the schools meddling in a lot of things that aren't their business.
It is like they are saying that my parenting of my children (or most of us parents) aren't doing OUR jobs so they feel it is up to them to take over. I've even written notes to my children's teachers and told them specifically things I may not want my children doing, for particular reasons that I have tried to explain and what I get back seems to be answers like "you don't know what you are talking about".
For instance my daughter has asthma. I have worked hard to find a solution for her problems, and we have come up with a method of dealing with it that doesn't require she use medication. It involves a particular breathing method developed by a man in Russia. It solves her symptoms in a natural way, but it requires that she not be forced to hyperventilate or exercise too strenously in such a way that will interfere with her keeping her breathing under control.
I wrote to her PE teacher and tried to explain that I didn't want my daughter being forced to run at PE for this reason. Her reply was that she has asthma too and has it under control with medicine and that running is good for her.
I as the parent don't know what is good for my daughter? I the parent who has been in a situation where I would get up with her three or four times a night helping her deal with an asthma attack so severe that it scared me, and who has helped her to get over and stop having ANY attacks without using medicine... I don't KNOW what helps and what doesn't?
I really really get annoyed with the schools. I think they overstep their place WAY too often. I think they should listen to the children's parents and not assume that they know better.
As far as what the schools can do? They can keep only healthy foods at school. Other than that they should keep their opinions about what is "best" for my children to themselves.
The problem with that is that kids who aren't healthy- or have poor nutrition have a very very hard time learning. Your brain needs food and water to work properly. Teaching kids is hard enough when they are ready to learn... when they are hungry, or listless or tired, or mal-nourished, it's next to impossibe!
I also think that a lot of parents are teaching their kids about good nutrition and that's great! Those aren't the people who are going to have the troube adjusting to the "healthy school/healthy community concept" We need to reach those kids who eat and drink nothing but junk.
Well, my kids are in grade school, but I don't see why this couldn't work with older kids too...
One thing they do every morning is a "health hustle". When the weather is good they do a quick lap around the perimeter of the field outside. When the weather is bad I think they put on some music and let the kids dance for several minutes.
They have taken out all the soda from the machines and only have water and fruit juice in there. Now they are even thinking about only offering smaller sizes of juice.
HTH!
Thanks for this idea! We're going to start doing this right after spring break with the junior high kids! Heathy Hustle- great name!
I'm not a parent, but I thought I'd put in my two cents.
I disagree with the people who say "if it isn't presented right, kids won't eat it." If they're hungry enough, they'll eat it! I remember the hot lunches that kids used to get back when I was in school, and how disgusting most of them ended up being (soggy, partially uncooked chicken nuggets), but they got eaten.
As for suggestions, I like the whole make-your-own sandwich bar. Your school might also consider their portion sizes-- I remember the pile of fries and the slices of pizza our caf used to hand out! Another thing you might try is price redistribution. Maybe cut the price of healthy foods by 50 cents or a dollar and add that money to the less healthy choices. I'd also suggest getting rid of soda machines (only sell bottled water and maybe juice) and only put healthier options in the snack machines. Those are just a few little ways to help with the health problem.
In my kids school, they have a salad bar. I didnt think that any kid would get salad by themselves, but when I went to lunch with my kids, 90% of the kids got the salad by themselves!!!! I was impressed. As I was looking around, the kids were actually eating the salad too LOL. I didnt think kids ate salads and such anymore..well besides my kids..lol
At my children's school, there are snacks for sale right beside the cash register - the kids buy the snacks and eat that instead of their lunch. The lunch just sits there in front of them.
I say, if they must fry, NO TRANS FATS!! And they need to have much less fried food than they do! And there should be no snacks for sale in the cafeteria, unless it is like a day per week that they have cookies or something. Many of my children's friends eat a popsicle, ice cream, or bag of chips every day while their lunch sits there in front of them!
Actually I'd prefer that public schools spent more time (and money) worrying about education as a whole. Perhaps then I'd feel ok sending my kids there as opposed to private school. Textbooks, qualified teachers, the material taught is my concern. If parents are concerned, they can educate about food and health. Parents can pack healthy lunches, make sure the kids get exercise etc. Just my opinion.
Actually I'd prefer that public schools spent more time (and money) worrying about education as a whole. Perhaps then I'd feel ok sending my kids there as opposed to private school. Textbooks, qualified teachers, the material taught is my concern. If parents are concerned, they can educate about food and health. Parents can pack healthy lunches, make sure the kids get exercise etc. Just my opinion.
If parents were doing that...we wouldn't have the problem we do with childhood obesity. As a teacher, there is nothing i'd like more than to "teach the subjects" reality is that a lot of our kids are sick, they are unheathy mentally and physically and in my province anyway, the schools have been asked to step in. I'm extremely careful about what my kids eat. The last thing i want is for them to suffer with a weight problem like I did all my life.
