...to think that schools should include healthy eating and meal planning?

[SunshinenSparkles]

When I was at school, we did have 'Home Economics' but I really don't think it was good enough.

We were taught how to make things like cakes and puddings, lasange, pizza, sandwiches (wtaf?!?).

I feel that schools need to step up their game in home economics. The HE teachers should be required to teach students how to make real balanced meals and what a balanced meal is. Students should leave school with the knowledge of how to feed themselves and their future household.

We learned how to make a cushion (not how to lift hems or repair clothes etc)

I think kids should be taught how to repair clothes when they tear a seam or to lift hems. Classes should include how to rewire a plug or change a fuse and basic budgeting.

These are the things that would be useful EVERY day of their adult life.

What do you all think? AIBU? I don't think it's too much to ask...I'm not expecting schools to create a new class, just to teach quality lessons in an existing class.

Nah, everything you suggest is available on a 5 minute YouTube tutorial. I would rather schools focus their attention on literacy, maths, the sciences, etc.

My son was definitely taught about a balanced diet and healthy eating at school.

As for other stuff like budgeting and wiring plugs, I consider it to be my job as a parent to teach him that kind of thing.

Or children could cook dinners with their parents, learn how to sew with their parents, learn to change a fuse with their parents. They might be able to do some of these in school too through their food tech lessons, textile lessons etc. But I don't think it should just be down to schools who have enough to teach as it is! Parents are just as good educators for these skills too!

Or the parents could do some parenting.

I think this lies within the remit of parents. Yes some are getting it very wrong, but I think there is a shift in attitudes happening now with the increased awareness of the obesity epidemic. I think I would rather the school focused on academic subjects and I take full responsibility for my child's health.

I think there should be an overhaul of the diet information put out by the nhs as it is old fashioned and ill advised. Then parents should use the new information (if they do not already understand nutrition) and teach children to cook healthy meals and how to have a balanced diet.

Teachers and schools have enough to do, its just silly to heap everything a parent is supposed to do on them as well.

If H.E. still existed you may still have a point, but as it doesn't YABU.

You may also want to check out the curriculum at KS3 before trying to shoe horn in anymore areas.

You could also petition your school to fund the subject properly and give the teachers more than 1 hour to prepare and make the food.

Children are definitely taught about healthy eating

How to mend stuff can be easily googled and find tutorial videos which are far easier to refer back to than notes from a lesson in your teens.

We already do a load of what you want in the op.

It’s bloody lazy to expect schools to pick up after crap parents.

When did you last change a fuse or rewire a plug?

Overall diet needs to be balanced, not meals.

DS aged 12 is doing home ec at school

Ds1 is in year 9 and they teach all that stuff, plus more.

If they teach the things you suggest, when are schools going to actually educate children? Teach them how to explore and understand the world and inspire them to want more and achieve their potential. I use quadratic equations everyday yet I rarely rewire a plug.

Or the parents could do some parenting - this, in bucketloads.

Absolutely. Schools should do everything. And then everyone can whinge about falling standards in literacy and numeracy. I read on here last week that "parenting has been outsourced to schools". Ain't that the truth

In Scotland, secondary kids have Home Ec on the curriculum - mostly compulsory to S3. They learn about healthy diet, dietary requirements, safety in the kitchen and how to create balanced dishes taking into account issues such as seasonality and sustainability.

I'm not sure what else you'd want to teach them

I think with the current obesity epidemic your idea about schools teaching healthy eating is spot on. Year on year. Many parents aren’t doing it as they don’t know how either! Teaching it in schools would help a new generation and their parents be healthier. The whole school funding and attitudes to teachers needs a complete overhaul. A good school with good teachers is invaluable and worth so much more than what they are currently getting, it’s so sad

My eldest is in her second year of post primary - she's 12. She does Home Economics - so far this year she has covered healthy eating, cooks a wide variety of foods, already covered basic budgeting last year including how to chose household appliances to best suit differing needs, how to batch cook/freeze, how mortgages work. She learnt about wiring a plug when they were working on circuit boards in science.

In her last year of primary school they covered bank accounts and my 7 year old could give you chapter and verse on healthy eating - they do loads of healthy body, healthy mind type things in their primary school. And yes the internet is bloody brilliant for tutorials.

Pretty sure they do teach healthy eating in schools.

We do teach healthy eating however I have read loads of posts on here of posters criticizing the teachers on the information they present in these classes. People have different ideas on healthy eating and teachers are not dieticians.

My DC have been taught about it and came home with healthy eating booklets.

It caused my DS who has always been a ridiculously fussy eater to have a borderline eating disorder for a short amount of time. He would not touch anything he deemed ‘unhealthy’. He’s already tall and like a rake, the last thing he needed to do was essentially diet! The school had scared him off anything sugary instead of teaching the correct way, about a balanced diet. They also still use that outdated 1970s food wheel. So I had to teach him about a balanced diet and it took me a while but eventually I got through to him that the occasional packet of crisps or sweets wasn’t going to kill him.

They also bake and cook in school.

Yes, if only healthy eating and balanced diets were on the curriculum.

I think this should be taught by the parents

Yabu. Healthy eating is taught. I cook a lot at home with my dc as it's far easier for me to do it 121. I'm sure I'll teach them to wire a plug when the time comes.

Primary Design and Technology Curriculum