Making the Grade – Fun Food Ideas for School

As an elementary teacher I have dealt with the ramifications of poor nutrition every day during my teaching. This does not mean that parents neglect their children; on the contrary they have the absolute best intentions of feeding them healthily. Unfortunately, with the rush of the mornings, dealing with children who are picky eaters, and little time to pack lunches and snacks, students often ingest empty calories and a lot of sugar. The result is lack of concentration, sugar highs, crashes, irritability and mood swings. These are very real issues to handle for teachers who are trying to maintain productive classroom environments. With this in mind, here are a few fun ideas I have collected from friends who are moms and food websites that are sure to help even the pickiest eater dig into his lunchbox and have a rewarding day.

The Breakfast Challenge
I have had many parents come up to me before the start of the school day and say in a defeated tone, “I just couldn’t get Patrick to eat anything this morning.” According to the Center for Disease Control “Eating a healthy breakfast is associated with improved cognitive function (especially memory), reduced absenteeism, and improved mood.” So what do parents do? My friend Lauren, mother of two, has a fabulous and fun solution: cookies! Not just any cookie of course, but cookies that have applesauce, dried cherries, oats, walnuts, dark chocolate and are low in sugar and high in nutrition. You can make them at the start of the week and freeze them for a fast morning solution. Who wouldn’t want to eat that for breakfast! Try this amazingly delicious recipe on the food network website for Kitchen Sink cookies by Ellie Krieger. http://www.foodnetwork.com/kitchen-sink-cookies/video/index.html

Snack Dilemma
Snack time is a well-deserved break in the morning for students and teachers alike. It is time to move around and fuel up before lunch. Snack is not an option in my classroom! Everyone needs to reboot their systems and when blood sugar levels get low, students suffer. I love this stuffed cucumber recipe because it’s fun to eat bite-sized things, it’s realistic to make and it incorporates vegetables!http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/stuffed-cucumber-cups-877034/

Lunch Time Doldrums
Part of my job that I wasn’t expecting is monitoring lunches to make sure every child eats. The most successful eaters in my class usually have a few things in common. A fun lunch case to use (try Bento mealtime Kit skiphop.com or Double Decker Mealbox giggle.com), and food presented in fun ways. Kids always seem to love wraps and it’s a fast way to keep them entertained. I liked this turkey, cream cheese, cranberry sauce recipe and recommend looking at the Super Healthy Kids Blog, as they have so many creative ideas. http://blog.superhealthykids.com/2011/11/healthy-lunch-box-turkey-wrap/

Hopefully these recipes and ideas will make dealing with hunger a little less painful in your family as well as healthy. Your child’s teacher will thank you!