Help! 5 yo coming home from school with bags of total crap (candy etc.) - Page 2

[katroshka]

I think it's completely reasonable to go to the principal about this. It's not just about your kid, it's about our entire society. Obesity is a major threat to public health, and the health problems associated with it are affecting kids RIGHT NOW, TODAY.

Candy and treats aren't evil, and in the old days something like 1 candy cane per kid would have been the norm- not three bags of candy. Not tons of cupcakes filled with high fructose corn syrup. And on top of the treats, the kids weren't being fed a bunch of junk food at lunch.

It may be your responsibility to make sure your kid eats well, but with the growing health crisis facing this country, with 1 out of 3 children born today destined to become diabetic, it's everyone's responsibility to promote a health conscious environment in the institutions we send our children to for hours a day.

At my daughters' school we don't allow candy or sugary snacks. Sometimes they sneak through, but since the policy was started school-wide we definitely have seen a major decrease in the junk. They have also gotten rid of the chocolate milk at lunch, which contained as much high fructose corn syrup as a can of soda. We have an organic garden that the children care for, a wood-fired pizza oven that the kids make healthy pizzas in on special occasions, and I have done several healthy veggie cooking demos at lunch times, using equipment and organic produce donated by local organizations and businesses. We have also hosted parent information sessions about healthy eating, and had the famous Chef Ann, The Renegade Lunch Lady (www.chefann.com) come to our school to promote healthy school lunches. This is at a public charter school, and it was all made possible by concerned parents like you, getting together, talking to the administration, and getting involved. Try not to get too angry, look at it as an opportunity to do something positive for your school. I'm sure you will be able to find like-minded parents, and you can take a bunch of statistics to back up your argument to the administration.

[beebalmmama]

I would guess it is most likely coming from the parent that volunteered for the party. However it is possible that the teacher can influence what is brought in.

Dh has taught kindy and now teaches first grade and he tries to be pretty specific about having healthy snacks at parties. He discourages cupcakes based on the mess (however he just thinks the amount of frosting on store bought cupcakes is ridiculously unhealthy). But he is at a school where homemade items are not accepted and so he still often has parents bring in "crap". When it comes to day to day snacks that parents provide, he has had to tell parents that what they brought wasn't appropriate. However I think when it comes to holiday parties he probably let's a little more go. He still suggests to the planning parent to provide some healthy snacks and some treats. But that doesn't mean that sometimes he hasn't had a parent go overboard with goody bags and such.....He doesn't necessarily know what is coming in the door until the day of the party.

I would suggest talking to the teacher first to voice your concerns.

But then again, we have often filtered out junk food from ds's bags from either school or birthday parties. Often he doesn't like those candies anyway because generally at home we have chocolate or homemade treats.