Our school is doing something new...

[tiredmommy]

this coming school year. It looks like they will be encouraging students to bring fruits or vegetables for healthy snacks rather than the junk most bring in. This helps not only student's nutrition but greatly reduces the chance of an accidental peanut/tree nut allergy episode due to manufacturing and packaging processes.

They are also having students take gym everyday for 30 minutes. I have a feeling that this will help not only with fitness but also with behavior as the students will have a chance to burn off energy daily.

What does your child's school do to combat obesity and deal with allergies and other health issues?

 

[totoro]

That is pretty cool and smart!

Our school does the same. They also have the nurse go into the classes and "yell" at the kids about water consumption. All kids must have a water bottle at their desk.
In Kindergarten no junk food is allowed.

The older kids can bring junk, but it is discouraged.
The School has a milers club, the kids are encouraged to run at recess, lunch and before School. They get tickets for each mile, after a certain amount they get their name in the paper and prizes.

 

[KTMom91]

Our district outlawed the sale of junk food on campus several years ago. The Coke machines were replaced with Gatorade, the elementary school snack bars sell string cheese, fruit, and pretzels rather than M&Ms, sodas, and snack cakes. Similar options are available at the junior high and high school.

I agree with the changes overall, but these guidelines also limit classes having bake sales for fund raisers. However, it doesn't seem to stop the sales of overpriced fund raiser candy bars.

 

[Mattsmom277]

easy child's school has only water, juice and gatorade in the machine. No candy machines. No cafeteria food. It is 100% peanut free (and strongly enforced). They have encouraged treats without packaging (environment reason but also to help parents convince kids to avoid things like Dunkaroo's, etc). They do NOT get to put garbage into the school bins. They must replace everything into their bags and return home with it (which also ensures parents KNOW what parts of their lunches and snacks they actually eat). No child for any reason can share their food or drinks, nor can students trade items (again, to ensure parents know what their child consumes).

This year easy child's school is introducing "Nutrition Breaks". This has been in other schools in the district but only this year is easy child's school changing over. Instead of a morning recess (15minutes), a 45 minute lunch and a 15 minute afternoon recess, they will now get 2 Nutrition Breaks, each lasting 40-45 minutes. There is NO eating outside. Period. We will now pack 2 seperate "mini lunches". This allows kids 2 opportunities to properly fuel themselves through the day. The first 15-20 minutes of each break is to eat, the other portion is for activity outdoors. I am LOVING this idea. My cousins son has had this at his school for several years and they all swear by it. The kids normally as it was, with 2 short recesses, basically take 5 minutes dawdling to grab outside shoes, coat etc. Maybe 5 minutes play time outside, then line up to go back in, put inside shoes on, hang coat, and back at their desk to continue. There was no time for snacks or drinks, not that it was allowed during outside time anyhow. Then they wanted to run and play at lunch break so badly, they barely scarfed down a few bites of food, and headed outside. easy child always came home too hungry to wait for dinner, and would spoil her appetite. Then by bedtime, she was super hungry again. And for easy child, who packs on weight if not very careful, eating at bedtime is something I want to avoid.

 

[Wiped Out]

Our students are allowed to have only "healthy" snacks. I always laugh because my students don't think my Fiber 1 bars look healthy no matter how healthy I tell them they are! Our students have PE three times a week for 30 minutes.

I wish they would do more with the lunch program in our district, doesn't seem too healthy to me.

 

[tiredmommy]

It sounds like many of our schools are addressing nutrition & fitness, this is good news because kids spend half or more of their awake time during the week there. I remember hearing a story about an alternative school in MN (I think) that struggled with behavior problems in the student population. There was a remarkably positive effect on behavior when they switched to a whole foods menu and banned junk food.

 

[flutterby]

Our school is doing nothing.

You can buy junk food in the cafeteria and in the vending machines. Snacks are not allowed in class, healthy or otherwise. Which is really bad considering high school (which starts at 7:30) has their first lunch at 9:30 and their last lunch at 1:45 (school gets out at 2:30).

Elementary kids get one lunch/recess together. It is combined a total of 45 minutes...that is to stand in line for your lunch, eat and play. I've had lunch there in the past with my daughter on many occasions and it is not at all unusual for kids to take 4 or 5 bites of lunch, then raise their hands to go outside.

I think I will be taking these ideas to the next school board meeting.

 

[Lothlorien]

Missy takes 3 snacks. 2 for lunch and one for after school. She has to take two healthy snacks and she can have one junky (like cookies or chips) as the third. I don't know if the school is doing anything specific, but I've always been very careful about her diet.

 

[DammitJanet]

These all sound wonderful. It always ticked me off when they removed recess from schools. I remember having two recesses a day in the younger grades. Then in Jr High we had gym every day.

I know when my kids were in elementary school they only had one recess and I thought that was just plain stupid. How did they expect to get the wiggles out? Oh yeah...medicine!

I think we may have had somewhat ok food because it was cooked at the schools but it was still pretty high in fat content. They didnt have candy machines or soft drink machines. Jamie used to trade his desserts to get the other kids fried okra...lol. He made out like a bandit on days they had fried okra.

 

[KTMom91]

Heather, another thing many of the elementary schools in our district have started is having lunch recess first, then bringing the kids in to eat. They've found more kids are eating (instead of the two-bite thing) and they're calmer when they go back to class.