First Lady Obama has taken on Nutrition to be her theme of interest for this term. You can read more about this on Obama Foodorama. She is making big changes in school lunch programs, you can see some of those changes at Bet
I have long thought the food pyramid to be a bit confusing when explaining it to others, and love the new "choose my plate". I thought this was an easier way to explain and have kids visualize their food choices.
We took each section and talked about what food are in each group, servings, creative ways to eat healthy, snacks, what is moderation, and digestion. I had the kids each take turns making there own plates using the Felt food choices.
This was very successful and the kids all enjoyed asking questions and making their plates. I think I will be using this aid for small children as well, since it is fun and visually easy to understand.I made my own DIY felt board and purchased the felt cutouts at Felt Source. This is a wonderful fun activity for kids of all ages. If you want to explain healthy eating with your children, and have fun doing it, this is it. Unfortunately, they enjoy it so much that we have it out all the time now. I have my fingers crossed that we do not lose any of the felt foods.
I was touched by the wonderful thank you card the 4th grade class made me. We had talked a little about heart health and beneficial foods. Thank you Ms. Langdorf for allowing me the opportunity to share my passion.
I did stop by the school lunch room and briefly talk with the head of the lunch program. She did mention that next year there are a few changes taking place. Instead of a main and side of choice, kids will be given a main, a vegetable, and a fruit placed on every plate. She was concerned with the amount of food that might be thrown away and wasted. It is a real concern that I think about as well, because of this possible waste we pack our lunches. I think that instead of possibly wasting food, we should be talking to kids about making good choices, like today. It is their responsibly to learn to eat healthy giving them educational tools to help them learn this. I was impressed with the "Raw Bar" and assortment of fruits and vegetables. She said that the raw bar is always a huge hit with the kids, except the cauliflower. I think a lot of kids have a little trouble with cauliflower :-)
What are your thoughts on some of the changes you can expect for next year school lunch programs?
Remember to visit Nourishing Interactive. They are a fun website with lots of free printable pages, games, and educational resources. You can print these out for at home educational use.
