October 2009
Cafeteria or Classroom?
As students returned back to the classroom ready to learn about science, math, and language, there’s one subject that’s the undisputed highlight of the day—lunch!
It’s estimated that thirty million children eat school lunch every day. From kindergarten to senior, lunch is an activity that every student has in common, and the lessons learned in the cafeteria can be just as influential as those down the hall.
To make your cafeteria a nutrition classroom, consider implementing some of these ideas:
• Display a small collection of books on nutrition and encourage kids to check them out through the library
• Create signs that show kids where their food comes from and how it’s made
• Use each month to celebrate one part of the food pyramid and award prizes to students who memorize all the benefits
• Invite speakers from local farms and food manufacturers to address students
• Select students to participate in a school lunch advisory council
• Along with the monthly menu, publish a list of food facts to your school’s website for families to discuss at home